German defence company Quantum Systems plans to supply Ukraine with tens of thousands of SPYS interceptor drones designed, among other purposes, to counter Russia’s new Geran-4 and Geran-5 jet-powered drones.
Quantum Systems Vice President Matthias Lehna announced the plans during a company press briefing in Berlin on Wednesday.
“Over the weekend, an LOI [letter of intent] was signed to provide a package of tens of thousands of SPYS, which, as already mentioned, are capable of intercepting jet-powered drones,” Lehna said.
According to him, SPYS was jointly developed by Quantum Systems and its Ukrainian partner WIY, which cooperate through the joint venture Quantum WIY Industries. The new system incorporates experience gained from the use of the company’s products directly in Ukraine, including its STRILA interceptor drone.
Quantum Systems said Ukraine’s effectiveness in countering Russian jet-powered drones has increased significantly in recent months.
“Initially, we saw interception capabilities in Ukraine at a very low percentage. It then increased to more than 30%, while recent nights have shown an increase to more than 50%,” the company representative said.
He stressed, however, that this rate is the result of a combination of different countermeasures rather than interceptor drones alone.
“But this is a combination of different measures. Ukraine has also adapted, deployed different capabilities and makes extensive use of its F-16 fleet, which is capable of intercepting jet-powered Shaheds. It is also increasingly using solutions developed by companies such as ours, which are demonstrating growing effectiveness within this broader set of capabilities for countering the new threat,” the Quantum Systems representative said.
As it scales up SPYS production, the company can also rely on production capacity already established for its STRILA interceptor drones.
“And I am talking about several thousand per month,” Lehna said of potential production volumes.
Asked by an Ukrinform correspondent when the first SPYS drones from the new package could be delivered to Ukraine, the Quantum Systems representative said:
“Thousands of units are ready for delivery this year.”
