Stark Defence (legal name SKD SE) is a Berlin strike-drone company founded in 2024. CEO Uwe Horstmann. Flagship Virtus is an electric VTOL loitering munition already claimed in Ukraine use.
Latest update Oct 9, 2026
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The 26 February 2026 Bundeswehr framework still conditions several thousand systems on successful qualification. As of 9 October 2026 neither BAAINBw nor the Bundeswehr had published that qualification closed or that a first German delivery had been accepted. hartpunkt on 2 October, citing a BMVg answer, said integrated Nachweisfuehrung for Virtus and Helsing HX-2 was shortly before completion, with residual work remaining, the Panzerbrigade 45 delivery timetable held, and first training or exercise in November. A BMVg spokeswoman said munition-safety qualification is or will shortly be completed and that usage approval may then come with conditions before full Nachweisfuehrung closes. Josef Kranawetvogl's 23 September 275 million euro first-charge timetable is still not a recorded accepted delivery. Newsroom last official post still 4 September Raydiant RF. A 500 million euro Series C closed in June 2026.
hartpunkt.deUpdated Oct 9, 2026
Analysis · 4 min read · Sep 25, 2026The long view on Stark Defence: strategy, technology and what to watch02
2026
The 26 February 2026 framework says deliveries begin in 2026 and that several thousand systems follow within two years after successful qualification, first for Brigade 45 in Lithuania. Qualification status and a first accepted delivery are the gates between a signed framework and a real German programme of record. As of 18 September 2026 Stark has not posted a first-delivery date.
2026-2027
More than 80% of the €500 million Series C is earmarked for manufacturing and R&D, with a stated aim of thousands of unmanned systems a month across 18,500 m² in five countries. That is an order of magnitude above anything Stark has publicly delivered. Watch factory output, Ukrainian local production, and whether Swindon and the German plants actually hit a disclosed rate.
2026-2027
The 26 August 2026 live effectiveness test cleared the German warhead path for the man-portable quadcopter. Watch for a first named customer, a fibre-optic variant in contested EW, and whether Gambit becomes the Bundeswehr 'everyman's weapon' some German coverage has sketched.
2026-2027
The 18 September 2026 North Defence partnership is the first named vehicle integration for the tube-launched effector. A working fit on a manned light vehicle or UGV, and any follow-on UK or allied order, would show Cascade is more than a show stand.
2026-2027
The 4 September 2026 acquisition is supposed to take R-Zero from a single payload to a broader EW line and to feed spectrum data into Minerva. Watch for a named EW product beyond R-Zero and a fielded directional-link kit on Virtus or Gambit.
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Flagship software-defined eVTOL loitering munition (OWE-V). Launches from unprepared ground in under 10 minutes with no catapult or tube, cruises above 120 km/h, dives at 250 km/h, and carries a modular German warhead of up to 5 kg claimed to penetrate 800 mm of high-hardness armour. GNSS-denied navigation mixes visual odometry with satellite-imagery localisation. Recoverable for training.
Foldable man-portable eVTOL quadcopter for short-range ISR or strike. Strike variant: under 25 km, under 25 minutes, under 2 kg warhead, 6 kg MTOW. ISR variant: under 40 km, more than 50 minutes, 4-4.5 kg MTOW. Optional fibre-optic guidance for contested EM environments. Recoverable if the mission is aborted.
Tube- or canister-launched one-way effector for simultaneous multi-round launch from vehicles, vessels or ground tubes. Folding wings, modular warhead up to 4.5 kg, GNSS-free terminal guidance, under 20 kg for launcher plus effector so more than ten fit on one vehicle. Range 40, 60 or 100 km depending on battery.
Family of unmanned surface vessels for hybrid naval operations, with multi-sensor (visual, IR, radar) detection, Minerva C2 integration, and a modular payload bay. Specs on the product page: up to 910 nautical miles, 45-plus knots, 2,100 kg displacement, up to 500 kg payload, 6 m length, sea state 4 operate / 6 survive.
Sovereign, MOSA-based command-and-control software for unmanned weapons across land, air and sea. Automated target prioritisation and effector selection, swarm mission planning from operator intent, and a human-in-the-loop architecture that keeps the engagement decision with the operator. Designed as middleware into existing battle-management systems, with logs built for weapons-system certification.
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company SVP Josef Kranawetvogl, 23 September 2026
Treat competing euro figures as contract layers, not recognised revenue: first Stark call about 268.6-275 million euros (POLITICO 268.6 million; ESUT about 270 million for 2,200 Virtus; dpa 275 million); parliamentary cap 1 billion euros per company; original Stark option ceiling about 2.86-2.9 billion euros; combined first tranche 540 million euros with Helsing. No audited 2026 delivery count.
€3.2B per Bloomberg on the 23 June 2026 Series C; company-side figures cited around €3.5B. No later round as of 18 September 2026.
(Bloomberg: €140M prior plus €500M Series C); some reports put the cumulative figure above €660M
Framework for several thousand systems within two years after qualification, deliveries from 2026; Stark's share of a ~€540M first-tranche package with Helsing. Some secondary reports have cited ~€269M as Stark's slice of that package.
18,500 m² across Germany, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, Greece and Sweden (company homepage)
(POLITICO EUR 268.6M; ESUT ~EUR 270M for 2,200 Virtus; dpa EUR 275M). Parliamentary cap EUR 1B per company (Reuters 25 Feb). Original Stark option ceiling ~EUR 2.86-2.9B (POLITICO/dpa). Combined first tranche EUR 540M inside a 4.3B framework that lawmakers cut to EUR 2B. Qualification targeted end-September (ESUT); not confirmed closed as of 27 Sep 2026.
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Operating status
In production ramp; German qualification and first accepted delivery still unconfirmed
As of 9 October 2026, Virtus qualification has not been publicly confirmed closed by BAAINBw or the Bundeswehr, and no first accepted German delivery has been recorded. hartpunkt on 2 October published a BMVg answer that both Virtus and Helsing HX-2 still had residual qualification work, that the Panzerbrigade 45 delivery timetable was held, and that first training or exercise is due in November. Usage approval may follow munition-safety qualification, possibly with conditions, before full Nachweisfuehrung closes. Stark's newsroom last official post remains 4 September Raydiant RF. The hashed end-September qualification nextStep stays pending: a passed date is not a miss, and BMVg did not give a new close date. The hashed November Lithuania nextStep also stays pending.
The core product: eVTOL one-way effectors sold first to Ukraine and, from 2026, to the Bundeswehr under a several-thousand-unit framework aimed at Brigade 45 in Lithuania. Training reuse via VTOL recovery is part of the German pitch.
Shorter-range effectors (Gambit, Cascade)
Man-portable quadcopter and tube-launched munitions unveiled June 2026. Gambit's TDW warhead passed a live demo in August 2026; Cascade is being integrated on North Defence vehicles. No production-contract values disclosed.
Minerva command-and-control software
Human-in-the-loop C2 for swarms and recce-strike, sold with Stark effectors and designed as MOSA middleware that can ingest third-party ISR (including Quantum Vector in the April 2026 Bundeswehr trial).
Maritime (Vanta) and electronic warfare (R-Zero / Raydiant RF)
Early-stage. Vanta USVs are on the product list; Raydiant RF was acquired 4 September 2026 to widen an EW line that started with R-Zero. No disclosed production awards.
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2026
BMVg says Virtus qualification is shortly before close, with residual work remaining
On 2 October 2026 hartpunkt published a Federal Ministry of Defence answer that integrated qualification of Stark's Virtus and Helsing's HX-2 was shortly before completion, with residual work remaining and a comparable qualification stand. The ministry said the Panzerbrigade 45 delivery timetable was held and that first training or exercise should take place in November, with tactical employment capability still targeted this year. A spokeswoman said munition-safety qualification is or will shortly be completed, after which usage approval may be granted with selected conditions before full Nachweisfuehrung closes. This is not a BAAINBw close notice or a first accepted delivery. Stark's newsroom still has no later post than 4 September.
hartpunkt: Virtus hot-strike section at Meppen, full qualification not closed
On 8 September 2026 hartpunkt, citing unnamed sources and an unanswered BAAINBw query, reported that a first German hot-strike campaign section at WTD Meppen (calendar week 35 plus 7-8 September flights, about six Virtus systems) had been completed. The same article said that did not mean Virtus was fully qualified, that both Stark and Helsing were not yet through integrated Nachweisfuehrung, and that the contractual proof deadline for the February awards was the end of 2026. This is not a BAAINBw or Bundeswehr acceptance statement.
ESUT: Virtus order preceded qualification, targeted by end of September
On 5 March 2026 ESUT, citing a BAAINBw WhatsApp note, said the first call was 2,200 Virtus systems for about 270 million euros and that the order was placed before development and qualification were complete, with qualification targeted by September. The 26 February committee write-up said further call-offs need proof of completed qualification and serial readiness, and that qualification should be finished by the end of September. As of 27 September 2026 neither BAAINBw nor Stark's newsroom had posted that the gate closed.
Stark says first Bundeswehr Virtus deliveries are about to start
At the Euro Defence Expo in Essen on September 23, 2026, Stark senior vice president Josef Kranawetvogl said the company plans to begin first Bundeswehr deliveries of Virtus soon on a charge of 275 million euros, with the first batch going to the German brigade in Lithuania and systems due at a November NATO exercise there without warheads. He put the Virtus unit price below 100,000 euros. The February 26, 2026 framework, approved February 25, covers several thousand systems within two years after qualification. ESUT reported a first call of 2,200 Virtus systems for about 270 million euros alongside Helsing's 4,300 HX-2 systems for about 270 million euros, with Panzerbrigade 45 in Lithuania as the first formation from 2027.
North Defence to integrate Cascade on vehicles
On 18 September 2026 UK vehicle maker North Defence says it will integrate Stark's Cascade tube-launched loitering munition across its manned light mobility vehicles and next-generation unmanned ground vehicles, giving Cascade a vehicle-mounted launch path in the UK and Luxembourg.
Acquires Raydiant RF for electronic warfare
On 4 September 2026 Stark buys Berlin startup Raydiant RF (directional antennas, analog electronics, software-defined radios) and folds founder Luca Steinweg in as head of communications/EW. Stark had already built R-Zero, an EW payload for locating hostile transmitters; Raydiant's compact directional antenna is meant to cut the electromagnetic signature of unmanned links.
TDW warhead for Gambit passes live effectiveness demo
On 26 August 2026 Stark and MBDA subsidiary TDW say a live test in Germany confirmed Gambit's TDW multi-effect warhead, fuze and safety-and-arming system can destroy lightly armoured targets. The warhead is already qualified and in NATO service. The companies had previously conducted Germany's first live loitering-munition firing with Virtus in December 2025.
€500M Series C co-led by Sequoia and Founders Fund
On 23 June 2026 Stark raises €500 million co-led by Sequoia Capital and Founders Fund, with the NATO Innovation Fund, Döpfner Capital, Air Street Capital, 201 Ventures, Project A and Advent participating. Bloomberg reports a €3.2 billion valuation; company-side figures cited to Tectonic and others put the mark around €3.5 billion. Bloomberg said the company had previously raised €140 million, implying roughly €640 million cumulative.
2026
Cascade and Gambit unveiled with UK launcher partnership
On 8 June 2026 Stark unveils Cascade, a tube-launched effector for simultaneous multi-round launch, and Gambit, a foldable man-portable quadcopter munition, together with a new UK launcher partnership.
Virtus-Minerva swarm flown with Quantum Vector in Bundeswehr exercise
At the end of April 2026 Stark says Virtus and Minerva were integrated with Quantum Systems' Vector ISR drone in Bundeswehr trials of AI-supported recce-strike swarms, a live sensor-to-shooter pairing of the two Seibel-founded companies.
Bundeswehr framework for several thousand Virtus systems
On 25 February 2026 the Bundestag budget committee approves a medium-range loitering-munition buy from Stark and Helsing, reported at about €540 million for the first tranche inside a larger capped framework. Stark signs the Virtus framework the next day: deliveries to start in 2026, several thousand systems within two years after successful qualification, aimed first at Brigade 45 in Lithuania. A prior public dispute over Peter Thiel's influence is closed after Stark and the ministry say he holds a single-digit minority with no control rights or board seat.
A further financing round in February 2026 takes Stark above a €1 billion valuation, making the two-year-old company a unicorn before its first major production award.
Stockholm EW office, Ukraine R&D hub, Greece office
In January 2026 Stark opens a Stockholm site focused on electronic warfare. In February it announces a Ukrainian R&D hub meant to house more than 200 specialists plus local manufacturing, and a regional office in Greece.
2025
Rheinmetall and Zalando executives join the board
In December 2025 Stark appoints Jan-Patrick Helmsen, previously of Rheinmetall, as chief sales officer and Martin Rost, previously of Zalando, as chief operating officer, to scale international sales and manufacturing.
FT reports missed shots in UK and German trials
On 31 October 2025 the Financial Times reports that in trials with British and German forces, four Virtus attack drones failed to hit their targets, including one that crashed in a German forest and a battery fire after impact in Kenya. Stark says crashes are part of development and that prototypes had already crashed 'a hundred times.'
$62M Sequoia-led round at about $500M valuation
In August 2025 Sequoia Capital leads a $62 million financing that values Stark at around $500 million, the first large US-venture cheque into the two-year-old company.
Swindon factory and Pleno acquisition
In July 2025 Stark announces a roughly 3,700 m² production site in Swindon, England, and acquires Berlin AI startup Pleno, whose software covers autonomous navigation and swarming.
Virtus loitering munition and Minerva C2 unveiled
Early 2025 Stark presents OWE-V Virtus, an electric VTOL loitering munition, and Minerva mission software. A Munich production site follows, and the German defence ministry orders systems for extended Bundeswehr trials.
2024
Founded in Berlin to build European loitering munitions
SKD SE is incorporated in Berlin by a group of German technology operators including Florian Seibel (also co-founder of Quantum Systems), Uwe Horstmann and Johannes Schaback. The company is created specifically to field one-way effectors after some Quantum investors declined to fund lethal systems.
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$62Mdisclosed across 1 round with a stated amount
Seed / Sequoia round
August 2025
Sequoia Capital (lead)
Unicorn round
February 2026
Undisclosed; valuation above €1B
Not fully disclosed; cumulative capital before the June Series C reported by Bloomberg at €140M
Series C
June 2026
Sequoia Capital and Founders Fund (co-leads), NATO Innovation Fund, Döpfner Capital, Air Street Capital, 201 Ventures, Project A, Advent
