00:01Drones competing at the Berlin Air Show, an analog to the broader competition among drone makers on global markets, which
00:10the U.S. currently dominates.
00:12That's something Europeans want to change thanks to the EU's new security and defense policy.
00:18Days before the Air Show, many European companies were exhibiting drones at the German-Ukrainian New Age Defense Conference, including
00:28quantum systems.
00:29The Munich-based startup developed an unmanned vehicle that can deliver a reconnaissance drone to crisis and war zones and
00:38dispatch from there on a mission with the help of AI.
00:42Quantum has been collaborating with Ukraine on drone development.
00:46Now the company plans to ramp up its marketing efforts across Europe's defense sector.
00:52A lot is happening because Europe is realizing that it needs to adapt, change and rethink its defense strategy.
01:01As a drone company, we also have to respond to the changing nature of warfare itself.
01:10Other German startups like Munich-based Helsing and Berlin's Stark Defense are also playing a big role in the Ukraine
01:18war and other crisis zones.
01:20Stark Defense's one-way drone has a range of 130 kilometers and can deliver warheads with pinpoint accuracy.
01:29At Stark we place a strong emphasis on modular, quickly-producible and cost-effective systems, which can be developed quickly
01:39and also adapted to operational needs.
01:42We rely heavily on AI systems for this and we do a lot of software development.
01:48And we're working with the German army and other partners to expand our specific military capabilities.
01:59Europe's drone industry is booming, worth 17 billion euros last year.
02:05The market extends far beyond military applications, spanning from farming to factory inspections.
02:12The European drone market is expected to grow by more than 8% annually, reaching 35 billion euros by 2033,
02:21according to forecasts by Grandview Research.
02:23Defense is a growing part of that story, with the EU's increasing investment in military drones.
02:31It's still not enough, some analysts say.
02:33When we are talking about EU strategy, not so much resources are allocated to drone industry.
02:41Sometimes it's only 2% of the overall governmental budget, sometimes it's 10% in the best scenario.
02:49It's not enough for the protection of the European Union, because we are still spending 98% of whole resources
02:55with old-school weaponry systems.
03:01Even so, many companies believe Europe is catching up.
03:07It's difficult to get a clear picture of the Chinese market from a technological standpoint, because it remains relatively closed.
03:15But compared with US companies, I believe European firms have made significant progress.
03:20At the Berlin Airshow, at least, it's European companies that are leading the drone race.
03:26WE'VE COME IN TOGETHER
Comments