Germany has mass-produced over 5,000 long-range attack drones: with a maximum range of 1,500 kilometers – their true competitive advantage lies in quantity and cost-effectiveness.

Germany is currently mass-producing a batch of long-range attack drones, totaling more than 5,000 units with a total value of approximately €300 million; delivery is scheduled for completion by mid-2027. This project is jointly driven by the German-American joint venture Auterion and the Ukrainian company Airlogix – the former responsible for the software systems and the latter for the aircraft hardware. The production line has already been established in the Munich region of Germany, with plans to expand additional manufacturing capacity in the future. Among these drones, the long-range variants have drawn the most attention. Public information indicates that certain models can achieve a maximum range of around 1,500 kilometers and are equipped with a piston engine and tail propeller configuration. Compared to jet-powered cruise missiles, these drones have a lower speed—approximately 200 km/h—but this lower speed translates into reduced fuel consumption and a longer range. Their greatest advantage, however, is not their long range but their low cost. Based on a rough calculation using the total contract value and quantity, the average unit price falls within the range of several hundred thousand euros, whereas traditional cruise missiles typically cost several million euros. In scenarios involving sustained, sustained warfare, this cost disparity is critical. While a single cruise missile focuses on high speed, powerful penetration capabilities, and high destructive power, low-cost attack drones emphasize quantity, continuity, and saturation. Handling a small number of drones is not particularly challenging; however, when dozens or even hundreds of such drones are deployed, combined with other decoys and attack platforms, air defense systems must remain constantly active. Radars must continuously scan the airspace, fighter jets must be scrambled, air defense missiles must be engaged, and surface-to-air missiles as well as short-range air defense systems must be placed in alert mode. This represents the most practical value of low-cost drones. The AI software system provided by Auterion further enhances the autonomous capabilities of such platforms. UAVs can navigate using terrain matching, image recognition, and pre-stored maps, continuing to fly along their predetermined flight paths even when satellite navigation is disrupted. They do not need to rely solely on external remote control and can adjust their flight paths based on mission-specific data. However, this capability does not mean they can easily penetrate modern air defense systems. Low-speed targets remain vulnerable to detection and interception by radar, fighter aircraft, and short-range air defense weapons; once they enter areas with dense air defense coverage, the loss rate can still be very high. Nevertheless, the low cost enables attackers to accept a certain proportion of losses. If just a small number of UAVs successfully penetrate an air defense zone, they can still disrupt airports, warehouses, energy facilities, radar stations, and logistical nodes. Another consequence of the 1,500-kilometer range is a significantly extended attack radius. In the past, low-cost UAVs were primarily used against frontline and shallow-depth targets; now, they are being deployed against fixed targets at greater distances. They are filling the gap between conventional UAVs and expensive cruise missiles. This represents an increasingly clear strategic approach in modern unmanned warfare. Not all targets warrant the use of high-value missiles; some missions can be effectively carried out by a larger number of UAVs—despite their slower speed and lower destructive power. The significance of the more than 5,000 UAVs lies in the fact that they are not merely a few experimental prototypes but have already entered mass production. Future competition in long-range strike capabilities may depend not only on which side's missiles are faster or farther-reaching, but also on which side can deploy a sufficient number of attack platforms over a target at a lower cost.