Quantum Systems, Frontline Robotics Launch Joint Drone Production in Germany

Ukrainian drones will for the first time be manufactured on an industrial scale in Germany after defense companies Quantum Systems and Frontline Robotics announced the launch of a joint production venture under a new government-backed initiative.

Quantum Frontline Industries (QFI), a German-Ukrainian joint venture, will establish the first fully automated, industrial-scale foreign production line for drones designed for the Defense Forces of Ukraine. 

The companies announced the news on Dec. 15. 

The project is being implemented under the Build with Ukraine initiative and will focus on mass production of battlefield-proven, multi-use drones developed by the Ukrainian company Frontline Robotics. 

Of the systems produced at the German facility, 100% will be delivered to Ukraine in volumes defined by the Defense Ministry, the press release wrote. 

The production line will combine Ukrainian drone designs tested in combat with German industrial automation, a model the partners described as a new form of cross-border defense co-production. 

The venture is also expected to create jobs in Germany, including for Ukrainians, the press release wrote. 

Quantum Systems will provide industrial infrastructure and oversee production operations, while Frontline Robotics will contribute licensed designs, training and full life-cycle support in line with NATO standards.

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“Ukrainians have revolutionized the drone war, now we will revolutionize the industrial war together,” the press release quoted Sven Kruck, co-CEO of Quantum Systems. “Together with Frontline Robotics, we will create Germany’s first foreign production capacity at this scale for Ukraine.”

Frontline Robotics CEO Yevhen Tretiak said the partnership was intended to serve as a model for future cooperation between Ukrainian and European defense companies. “This cooperation will supply the Defense Forces of Ukraine with thousands of drones to drive back the Russian aggressor,” Tretiak was quoted in the press release.

QFI will be led by Matthias Lehna, a former infantry officer in the German Armed Forces who later worked at the Cyber Innovation Hub in Berlin before joining Quantum Systems in 2023 as director for governmental relations and business development.

Lehna said the joint venture had three core objectives: scale, expand and create.

Mykyta Rozhkov, Frontline Robotics’ chief business development officer, said the partnership would help overcome constraints on manufacturing inside Ukraine during wartime.

“In wartime, finding safe locations for manufacturing inside Ukraine is difficult,” Rozhkov said. “Partnering with Quantum Systems allows us to expand our production capacity and strengthen the Defense Forces even further.”

The companies said the launch of QFI builds on a strategic partnership agreement signed earlier this year and represents a step toward creating a new European drone industrial base driven by Ukrainian frontline innovation and German engineering.

Details on the exact location of the production facility were not disclosed due to security considerations.

Quantum Systems is a European company specializing in unmanned aerial systems, supplying military, government and commercial clients with intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) platforms, autonomous systems and integrated mission solutions that combine hardware, artificial intelligence and software.

Frontline Robotics is a Ukrainian defense technology company founded in August 2023. Its founders have been developing technologies for Ukraine’s Armed Forces since 2014, with systems that have undergone battlefield testing. The company produces aerial and ground robotic systems, including the “Zoom” reconnaissance drone, the “Linza” bomber drone and the “Burya” robotic turret.