Germany to form unmanned regiment, finance C-UASs for Ukraine

Pistorius announced the formation of an army unmanned regiment during a visit to the Bundeswehr's Experimentalserie Land (pictured). (Bundeswehr/Janin Garzke)

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius announced the formation of an army unmanned regiment during a visit to the Bundeswehr's Experimentalserie Land trials in Bergen in northern Germany on 1 October 2026. This was followed three days later by the announcement by Chancellor Friedrich Merz during a visit to Kyiv that Germany would finance the production of 20,000 interceptor unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as part of a winter 2026/2027 military aid package for Ukraine.

The German Army's UAV regiment will be stood up in 2027 as a divisional unit of the 10th Panzer Division. The regiment will provide very short, short, medium, and long range reconnaissance, combat, and UAV interception capabilities, in addition to having an electronic warfare company.

Pistorius said unmanned systems were also being integrated into all units. German Army chief Lieutenant General Christian Freuding added that jäger (light infantry), reconnaissance, and armoured units were being equipped with unmanned systems in 2026-27. He expected the units and the new regiment to “allow us to significantly increase our speed in unmanned combat”.

Pistorius went on to say, “We are focusing on high-tech solutions for our procurement. We are closely monitoring what is happening on the battlefield in Ukraine: data sovereignty, networking, and innovation cycles determine success or failure. Unmanned systems are also playing an increasingly important role.”

Commenting on Experimentalserie Land, Pistorius said, “Data sovereignty is crucial, networking and innovation cycles determine the pace – all of this ultimately determines success or failure.”