Germany to set up first drone regiment next year, modeled after Ukraine war lessons

VIENNA — Germany plans to stand up its first dedicated drone regiment next year, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced, as Berlin attempts to institutionalize lessons from the war in Ukraine after years of domestic foot-dragging on unmanned warfare.

Speaking Oct. 1 at the Bergen military training area during the army’s “Experimentalserie Land” trials, Pistorius said ground forces will begin forming the regiment in 2027. Officials credited direct operational exchanges with Ukrainian frontline units for shaping the live-fire trials, which tested both aerial drones and unmanned ground systems. Pistorius emphasized that ground robotics will serve as an equal operational pillar alongside aerial systems, with the regiment consolidating reconnaissance, deep-strike capabilities, unmanned ground vehicles, electronic warfare, and counter-drone defenses under a unified command.

The regiment will serve as a divisional asset assigned to the 10th Panzer Division − the formation earmarked as Germany’s high-readiness “Division 2025” pledge to NATO, which also oversees Panzerbrigade 45 in Lithuania.

German Army Chief Lt. Gen. Christian Freuding said the Bundeswehr is pursuing a dual-track strategy that envisions setting aside dedication formations while also institutionalizing drone usage throughout the entire force.. At the turn of the year, the service will simultaneously begin fielding tactical unmanned systems directly across three core combat branches: light infantry, reconnaissance, and armor units.

The army plans to recruit between 300 and 350 personnel for the regiment’s initial footprint in 2027 before expanding the unit to an end strength of up to 600 troops, according to Freuding. In remarks to German wire service dpa, Freuding said planners target full operational capability by 2029.

The envisioned structure comprises five or six companies, including units for close-range combat, deep strikes at ranges of up to 500 kilometers depending on commercial equipment availability, electronic warfare, counter-UAS protection, and an internal trials company intended to fast-track operational testing. The Bundeswehr also plans to equip the formation with loitering munitions, which are currently undergoing evaluation and should reach troops in 2027, according to dpa information.

Unmanned systems have fundamentally reshaped modern combat, accounting for the vast majority of casualties on the battlefield in Ukraine. Western militaries have often lagged in retrofitting their forces, slowed by peacetime procurement practices and protracted political debates over weaponized drones and autonomy.

Key procurement questions surrounding the new unmanned-tech formation remain. The defense ministry has yet to finalize a permanent basing location or award contracts for the specific long-range platforms the regiment requires.

Linus Höller is Defense News' Europe correspondent and OSINT investigator. He reports on the arms deals, sanctions, and geopolitics shaping Europe and the world. He holds master’s degrees in WMD nonproliferation, terrorism studies, and international relations, and works in four languages: English, German, Russian, and Spanish.

维也纳——德国国防部长鲍里斯·皮斯托里乌斯宣布，德国计划明年组建其首个专门的无人机团。此前，德国在国内对无人作战领域多年拖延，如今柏林正试图将乌克兰战争的教训制度化。

10月1日，在卑尔根军事训练区举行的陆军“陆地试验系列”演习期间，皮斯托里乌斯表示，地面部队将于2027年开始组建该团。官员们认为，与乌克兰前线部队的直接作战交流对此次实弹演习起到了决定性作用，演习测试了空中无人机和无人地面系统。皮斯托里乌斯强调，地面机器人将与空中系统并驾齐驱，成为重要的作战支柱。该团将整合侦察、纵深打击能力、无人地面车辆、电子战和反无人机防御等能力，并由统一指挥。

该团将作为师属资产分配给第 10 装甲师——该师是德国向北约承诺的高战备“2025 师”，同时还负责驻扎在立陶宛的第 45 装甲旅。

德国陆军总司令克里斯蒂安·弗罗伊丁中将表示，联邦国防军正在推行双轨战略，一方面设立专门的无人机部队，另一方面在全军范围内推广无人机的使用。今年年底，联邦国防军将同时开始在三个核心作战兵种——轻步兵、侦察兵和装甲部队——直接部署战术无人系统。

据弗罗伊丁透露，陆军计划在2027年为该团初期招募300至350名人员，之后再将部队扩充至最终规模达600人。弗罗伊丁在接受德国新闻社（dpa）采访时表示，规划人员的目标是在2029年实现全面作战能力。

设想中的部队结构包括五到六个连，涵盖近程作战、射程达500公里（取决于商用设备的供应情况）、电子战、反无人机系统防护等作战单元，以及一个旨在加快作战测试的内部试验连。据德新社报道，德国联邦国防军还计划为该部队配备巡飞弹，这些巡飞弹目前正在评估中，预计将于2027年交付部队使用。

无人系统从根本上重塑了现代战争，在乌克兰战场上，绝大多数伤亡都是由无人系统造成的。西方军队在部队的无人系统改造方面往往滞后，这主要是由于和平时期的采购惯例以及围绕武器化无人机和自主性问题的旷日持久的政治辩论所致。

围绕这支新型无人技术部队的关键采购问题依然存在。国防部尚未最终确定永久驻地，也未就该部队所需的特定远程平台授予合同。

林努斯·霍勒是《防务新闻》的欧洲记者和开源情报调查员。他报道影响欧洲乃至全球的军火交易、制裁和地缘政治。他拥有大规模杀伤性武器不扩散、恐怖主义研究和国际关系三个硕士学位，并精通英语、德语、俄语和西班牙语四种语言。