Germany has decided to invest in combat drones, according to an April 4 report by the German press agency, citing Defense Ministry sources. The ministry believes drones will be a “real game changer” of modern times, similar to the development of tanks 100 years ago. Due to the rapid pace of technological advancement, the country plans to procure only a limited number initially to focus on integrating them into existing military structures.

Since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine, German companies have been actively helping Ukraine develop combat drones for the battlefield.

Two of these companies have been asked to produce drones for the German Bundeswehr. According to media reports, these are two start-ups in Munich: Stark Defense and Helsing.

Stark Defense develops the combat drone Skyfall OWE-V, for which the entire supply chain consists of German companies. Company cofounder and former Bundeswehr pilot Florian Seibel also heads Quantum Systems, which manufactures reconnaissance drones. Quantum Systems gained experience in Ukraine developing vertical take-off drones to spy on Russian troop locations. One of its most prominent investors is German-American billionaire Peter Thiel.

Helsing is an artificial intelligence company that develops strike drones. In 2023, it became Europe’s first privately owned start-up in the military, armaments and defense sector to surpass $1 billion in value.

After Helsing announced the delivery of thousands of strike drones for Ukraine at the end of 2024, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius told Bild, “We are in close dialogue with our Ukrainian partners and will be able to draw conclusions for the Bundeswehr on how this type of drone can be used effectively. This will also help us to develop our own drone capabilities.”

While Helsing initially developed the drones in cooperation with Ukraine, it has recently developed the more advanced HX-2 drone independently. This drone uses AI to direct explosive charges at a target confirmed by the soldier, and it is less susceptible to jamming. While Germany itself hasn’t used combat drones on the battlefield, it has through these start-ups gained invaluable experience.

After announcing the delivery of 6,000 of these kamikaze drones to Ukraine, Helsing cofounder Gundbert Scherf stated:

The war in Ukraine shows on a daily basis that modern, precise technology can compensate for numerical disadvantages compared to older systems. nato must quickly learn the right lessons from this. With our Resilience Factories, we are focusing on decentralized mass production throughout Europe.

The mass production of drones that have been tested in Ukraine could indeed be a game changer in modern warfare. It is hard to comprehend the destructive force thousands of drones, coordinated with AI, could unleash when deployed in a swarm. But we may not need to strain our imagination much longer. Reality might strike soon, and Germany is prepared for it.

Every soldier must know how to use and defend against drones.
—Christian Freuding, major general in the Bundeswehr

“Germany has shown interest in using drone swarms controlled by AI to support combat vehicles and future battle tanks,” c4isrnet noted in 2019.

Three years later, Ukraine provided the first opportunity to start integrating AI-powered drones on a large scale in a real-life battlefield. After three years of battlefield experience, Germany is ready to start integrating them into its own military.

How much longer until these drones are mass produced and the swarms unleashed?

Although not discussed in the media, Germany is preparing for modern warfare. “[U]ltimately, this is not about Ukraine winning against Russia,” Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry wrote in “AI and the End of ‘Mutually Assured Destruction.’” “Ukraine has become a ‘lab’ to prepare for much larger wars!”

Given Germany’s history of military surprises, this should alarm us. Even more, the Bible prophesies the type of warfare that Germany is preparing for and reveals who will fall victim to it.

One of these prophecies is found in Revelation 9 where a swarm of military aircraft is likened to a swarm of locusts. Another is found in Habakkuk 1:8-9: “Their horses also are swifter than the leopards, and are more fierce than the evening wolves: and their horsemen shall spread themselves, and their horsemen shall come from far; they shall fly as the eagle that hasteth to eat. They shall come all for violence: their faces shall sup up as the east wind, and they shall gather the captivity as the sand. And they shall scoff at the kings, and the princes shall be a scorn unto them: they shall deride every strong hold; for they shall heap dust, and take it.”

The fastest and most fierce animals are no match to the military forces that this prophecy describes. In Prophesy Again, Mr. Flurry explains:

This is an incredibly evil, destructive force—like evening wolves that eat anything they can find, even the bones of their prey. Do we really comprehend what a ravenous, deadly beast this is going to be? It will be far more destructive than the Nazis of World War ii.

Another prophecy recorded for our time in Isaiah adds vital detail. “O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation. I will send him against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets” (Isaiah 10:5-6).

Assyria is prophetic reference to Germany (read Germany and the Holy Roman Empire). In this prophecy, God clearly reveals that He is causing this military force to rise to correct a sinning people—the descendants of Israel, the house of Jacob (verses 20-21). In this end time, this refers primarily to the United States and Britain (request a free copy of The United States and Britain in Prophecy).

As result of this punishment, the descendants of Israel and the rest of the world will learn to worship God in truth.

The book of Isaiah and many other prophetic books in the Bible speak of a time of unparalleled suffering followed by unparalleled, eternal peace. The rise of militarism today and the development of new weapons technology point to the time of great suffering (Matthew 24:21-22). But this also means that eternal peace is just around the corner.