Quantum Systems
Quantum Systems builds AI-enabled eVTOL fixed-wing ISR drones — Vector, Twister, Reliant, Trinity — for military and dual-use reconnaissance missions across NATO and Ukraine.
Background
Florian Seibel and Sven Kruck co-founded Quantum Systems in Gilching, near Munich, in 2015, with a thesis that fixed-wing efficiency combined with vertical takeoff would outperform rotary-wing UAS for persistent ISR at tactically relevant ranges.
The company built its product line around that hybrid architecture: Trinity for mapping, Vector for mid-range ISR, Twister for short-range ISR, and Reliant for long-range ISR. All platforms feed into the MOSAIC UXS command-and-control software layer, positioning Quantum Systems as an aerial intelligence system integrator rather than a pure hardware vendor.
The company goes to market directly with MoDs and defense procurement agencies, leveraging NATO-aligned certification pathways and in-country offices — including one in Ukraine — to shorten procurement cycles.
Strategic investors Hensoldt and Airbus D&S provide industrial credibility inside European defense supply chains. Headcount is reported at approximately 1,000 employees worldwide as of 2026, though the figure is unverified against a primary company filing.
Latest developments
- : Dominion Dynamics Signs MoU to Build Tencore's TerMIT Ground Robots in Canada for Ukraine
- : Europe’s $10.5B Defence-Tech Forecast Rests on Two Munich Firms and American Money
- : Germany Funds Tens of Thousands of Interceptors. Ukraine's Best Drone Stops 30% of Jet Gerans
- : Ukraine’s Jet-Drone Defense Faces a 3,000-a-Month Production Race
- : In-Q-Tel's Network, Not Its Capital, Opened Quantum Systems' Path to the CIA and FBI
Linked records
Wired to the rest of BattlePolicy — the systems it builds in the Lexicon and the contracts it wins in the Procurement Tracker. Every link below is a record in our own datasets.
- Terra Drone starts selling an AI interceptor built with Ukraine's Amazing Drones
- A 160-year-old engine maker in Ulm is building Germany's newest battlefield robot
- Airbus Bought Into a German Drone Unicorn and Ukraine's Front Line on the Same Day
- Quantum Systems raises $1.2 billion, doubling to an $8 billion valuation
- Airbus signs Ukraine's SkyFall to wire combat-proven drone interceptors into European air defense
- Airbus will hang Quantum Systems' drone interceptors on the H145M
- Europe's Patriot alternative runs on a $700,000 Ukrainian missile
- Quantum Systems makes Ukraine its second-largest international base
Financial footing
- €180M Series C extension (Nov 2025, Balderton) — ~€3B / $3.5B val (tripled)
- ~€340M total 2025
- NATO-deployed, Ukraine operational use
- Backers: Series D participants, according to Freshfields and Quantum Systems: Blackstone, Noteus, Airbus, Advent, BOND, Fidelity Management & Research Company, Wellington Management, A.P. Moller Holding, Elephant Lake Ventures, Balderton and HV Capital. May 2025 Series C participants disclosed by Quantum Systems included Hensoldt, Airbus Defence and Space, Bullhound Capital and LP&E AG. Existing investors disclosed in Quantum Systems' May 2025 release included Project A, Peter Thiel, DTCP, Omnes Capital, Airbus Ventures, Porsche SE and Notion.
Freshfields, adviser to Blackstone and Airbus, confirmed the $1.2 billion Series D announced on 2 July 2026 at approximately $8 billion post-money, co-led by Blackstone, Noteus, Airbus and Advent.
Quantum Systems described the transaction as the signing of the financing. Freshfields also confirmed that Airbus Defence and Space had already invested in the May 2025 Series C.
Quantum Systems announced a €160 million Series C led by Balderton in May 2025. In November 2025, the company said a further €180 million extension led by Balderton valued it above €3 billion and brought total 2025 funding to €340 million.
The European Investment Bank confirmed a separate €150 million long-term debt package in February 2026, comprising a €70 million EIB loan and financing involving Commerzbank, Deutsche Bank and KfW.
Investing.com reported in November 2025 that CFO Jonas Jarosch had told the Financial Times the company expected more than €200 million in 2025 sales, with approximately 95% of revenue from military customers; these were management projections rather than verified final accounts.
In the July 2026 Quantum Systems announcement, Seibel described the company as profitable and Jarosch claimed triple-digit growth and double-digit profitability, without supplying audited financial statements or a precise profit figure.
Major customers & contracts
Joined live from the Procurement & Contracts Tracker — real award/announcement records.
| Customer | System | Scale / detail | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | Quantum Systems Vector | estimated unit cost ~€300,000 per aircraft | signed |
| US Army | Vector AI | 15300000 | signed |
| Germany | TerMiT UGV (2,000 for Ukraine) | — | signed |
| Romania | Vector reconnaissance drone (Quantum Systems) | 30.7 million euros | signed |
| Ukraine (Ministry of Defence) | TerMIT | Approximate total based on ~$12,000 per unit for 2,000 units | signed |
Further disclosed customers & programs (public reporting):
The U.S. Army selected Vector AI for its expanded company-level small-UAS portfolio, identifying it alongside Vapor CLE and Thor for priority Transformation in Contact units following flight demonstrations and a manufacturing-readiness assessment.
Quantum Systems announced the Company-Level sUAS Directed Requirement 2 award on 15 April 2026 and valued its contract at $15.3 million.
Romania contracted €30.7 million excluding VAT for 34 Vector Mini UAS Class I systems and 15 Scorpion conversion kits under SAFE, according to the Romanian Ministry of National Defence, with all 34 systems due in 2027.
Quantum Systems said Spain's 2025 procurement comprised a framework for 91 Vector systems containing 182 aircraft and a separate Spanish Air Force acquisition of multiple Twister systems with further options.
Europäische Sicherheit & Technik reported that Germany's BAAINBw signed a Twister framework in December 2025 to replace ALADIN, with 147 firm systems for delivery in 2026–2028 and options for another 600. The outlet put the seven-year framework ceiling at €85 million, rather than identifying that sum as the initial firm-order value.
Separately, Airbus disclosed a June 2025 reconnaissance cooperation agreement covering MOSAIC integration beneath CombatCloud, and Airbus Helicopters disclosed a June 2026 agreement to explore interceptor integration beginning with H145M.
Quantum Systems announced a 15,000-interceptor requirement for Ukraine's National Guard in March 2026, identifying STRILA and an investment in WIY Drones that remained subject to closing conditions and regulatory approvals.
In October, Quantum Systems announced German financing for several tens of thousands of Ukraine-built interceptors for the winter 2026/2027 assistance package, without disclosing a contract value. Company vice-president Matthias Lehna told Ukrainska Pravda that the SPYS package was covered by a letter of intent for tens of thousands of interceptors, with thousands potentially ready for delivery during 2026.
Quantum Frontline Industries announced an October follow-on National Guard order for Linza and Zoom deliveries in 2027 that exceeded the volume of its 2026 agreement, without disclosing quantity or price. Quantum Systems and Tencore announced German production of 2,000 TerMIT UGVs for Ukraine over twelve months, describing the programme as financed by Germany's defence ministry.
Quantum Systems separately announced a multimillion-euro Ukrainian R&D contract for ten MANDRILL UGVs and ten autonomous Zetros trucks for frontline validation, with Daimler Truck participating in development.
Quantum Systems said Japan's Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency selected it for a counter-UAS proof-of-concept programme under the Early Acquisition Program, without disclosing a production quantity or contract value.
Leadership & contact surface
Leadership: Florian Seibel (co-founder, co-CEO)
Official site: https://quantum-systems.com
Competitive position
Against AeroVironment's Puma and Jump 20, Quantum Systems' Vector and Reliant offer longer endurance and AI-native software integration, but AeroVironment holds deeper U.S. DoD certification depth and a larger installed base. Against Textron's Aerosonde and similar Group 2–3 platforms, Quantum Systems leads on unit cost efficiency and eVTOL launch flexibility, but trails on payload maturity and tri-service integration.
Against European rival Delair, Quantum Systems has a broader military customer list and combat-proven Ukraine deployments, but Delair holds stronger civil-aviation dual-use certifications. Against Shield AI's autonomy stack, Quantum Systems competes on platform hardware with the MOSAIC software layer, though Shield AI's Hivemind autonomy is more deeply validated in contested environments. The market for Group 2–3 tactical ISR UAS is fragmenting rapidly across NATO re-armament budgets, which benefits Quantum Systems' multi-country pipeline but also invites new entrants.
Battlefield relevance
Quantum Systems claimed more than 19,000 Ukrainian missions during 2025, while its April 2026 announcement put Vector's cumulative operational flight hours in Ukraine above 20,000.
The company figures measure missions and flight hours over different reporting periods.
Quantum's Ukrainian office director Oleksandr Berezhnyi told Militarnyi in August 2025 that Vector AI with the WASP acoustic artillery-detection payload was being tested on Ukrainian training grounds and combat missions; company representatives also described integration on Vector and Twister.
Quantum Systems said its October German-backed interceptor package would expand production of systems already in operational use.
Company vice-president Matthias Lehna described SPYS to Ukrainska Pravda as a jointly developed interceptor for jet-powered attack drones covered by a letter of intent; his quoted interception-rate figures concerned Ukraine's combined countermeasures, including aircraft, rather than SPYS-specific performance.
Defender Media reported that Linza 3.0 bomber drones were already used by Ukrainian units and that Quantum Frontline Industries had begun German production by February 2026 with a 10,000-drone annual programme target. The outlet reported completion of the first batch in April.
Quantum Systems described its ten MANDRILL UGVs and ten autonomous Zetros trucks as a contracted frontline-validation programme intended to generate feedback under operational conditions.
The company's September maritime announcement described Seavex and Subvex sea trials in Portugal, without announcing customer fleet deliveries.
Sources & verification
- Quantum Systems Vector — BattlePolicy Procurement Tracker
- https://quantum-systems.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/QS_VectorAI_Techsheet_250320_Screen.pdf
- https://bdsv-exhibitions.eu/show/enforce-tac-2025/753
- https://de.linkedin.com/company/quantum-systems-gmbh
- https://startupintros.com/orgs/quantum-systems
- https://quantum-systems.com/quantum-systems-announces-delivery-of-first-vector-isr-systems-to-the-dutch-ministry-of-defense/
- https://engtechnica.com/romania-selects-quantum-systems-for-vector-uas-procurement/
- https://www.drones-magazin.de/en/articles/twister-uas-for-the-german-federal-armed-forces/
- https://www.defencejobs.org/articles/german-defence-tech
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum-Systems
- https://www.tectonicdefense.com/quantum-systems-scores-15-3m-army-contract/
- https://investclub.sv/quantum-systems/
- https://quantum-systems.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/QS_24_PR_ILA_Swarming_ENG_rev.pdf
- https://x.com/quantumdrones?lang=es
- https://bavovna.ai/manufactures/quantum-systems-gmbh/
- https://www.scribd.com/document/718763176/220926-Brochure-A4-V016-Screen-Version
Analyst verdict Pro
Quantum Systems is the clearest case in Europe of a reconnaissance specialist trying to become a platform company before its window closes.
The Vector earned a real Ukrainian record; the $8 billion valuation is priced on MOSAIC becoming a cross-domain command layer and on the attack and interceptor lines converting, neither of which is demonstrated.
The Airbus relationship is the most interesting structural fact here and cuts both ways.
Airbus is simultaneously an investor, a consortium partner on Bundeswehr work, and a prime that could internalise this capability — the same triangle we flagged on Helsing's FCAS exposure. It de-risks market access and creates a dependency at the same time.
The In-Q-Tel route deserves more attention than it gets. A German firm using CIA-backed venture capital to reach U.S.
Army procurement is a transatlantic pathway almost no other European defence startup has walked, and Kruck's candour about what it delivered makes it a replicable template.
Three things to watch: whether the U.S. Army award grows into a programme of record rather than a pilot; whether the interceptor line wins a European counter-drone contract as jet Gerans force that market open; and whether Airbus's stake ever converts into an acquisition approach.
Last updated: 16 October 2026, 6:29 am PT