Drone production in Germany: Skyeton, Onberg and Ondas sign MoU on the Raybird UAS

Skyeton, Onberg Autonomous Systems and Ondas Autonomous Systems have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to expand drone production. The partners aim to scale manufacturing and supply NATO-compliant unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) – thereby helping to increase Europe's defence readiness.

The signing took place at ILA Berlin 2026. Present was Vice Admiral Carsten Stawitzki, Director-General for Armaments at the German Federal Ministry of Defence.

The cooperation is based on a jointly drawn-up roadmap. According to this, an industrial platform is to be created in Germany to develop, industrialise, manufacture and market autonomous components and subsystems; this will integrate the autonomous Onberg systems, which are part of a multi-domain system. Faster manufacturing and secured critical supply chains among the allies are to make it possible to supply reliable UAS – tailored to the operational needs of NATO and Europe.

The partners attribute the fact that scaling at continental level is becoming tangible to the interplay of three elements. Skyeton contributes its combat-proven Raybird UAS. Onberg brings powerful industrial infrastructure, based on scalable series production, state-of-the-art electronics and 175 years of Heidelberg precision engineering experience. Ondas, in turn, has proven expertise in autonomous systems, counter-UAS platforms and AI-supported mission technologies.

Raybird as flagship project for drone production

The first flagship project will be Skyeton's combat-proven Raybird UAS, with the focus on scaling and commercialisation. It is a modular long-range, long-endurance system designed for reconnaissance over long periods and open to seamless upgrades in the future. With Raybird and further autonomous solutions in larger quantities, the partnership aims to create a versatile and future-proof portfolio geared to changing defence requirements.

Trials in Ukraine are soon to test how the Raybird works together with HDAT's large unmanned ground vehicle (UGV); this combination is part of the multi-domain business the partnership is targeting. Vice Admiral Carsten Stawitzki commented on the signing as follows:

By combining Ukrainian combat experience with European manufacturing excellence and the technological competence of our allies, we are not only strengthening our collective security – we are building a resilient, sovereign defence industrial base in Europe.— Vice Admiral Carsten Stawitzki, Director-General for Armaments at the German Federal Ministry of Defence

Pavlo Shevchuk, International CEO at Skyeton, addressed the operational urgency from which the cooperation arose: “The war in Ukraine has fundamentally changed the paradigms of modern warfare: operational resilience, speed and adaptability are non-negotiable. In partnership with Onberg, we are combining Skyeton's extensive combat insights and the proven endurance of our systems with world-class European manufacturing and state-of-the-art autonomous technology to deliver exactly the capabilities our allies need.”

This partnership enables Onberg to contribute its deep technological expertise and Heidelberg's industrial tradition of precision to raise Skyeton's field-proven systems to continental scale. Together, we will close the gap between the urgency of the battlefield and Europe's industrial strength, delivering NATO-compliant autonomous solutions that Europe can deploy at short notice at any time and rely on.— Michael Wellenzohn, member of the Advisory Board of Onberg and CEO of HD Advanced Technologies