German Defense Firms Successfully Test Virtus Kamikaze Drone Warheads for Bundeswehr Deployment

Successful Warhead Tests for Virtus Drone

German defense companies TDW (Gesellschaft für verteidigungstechnische Wirksysteme mbH) and Stark Defence announced on December 22, 2025, the successful testing of warheads for the Virtus kamikaze drone. The tests were conducted at a specialized testing ground in Schrobenhausen, Bavaria, marking a crucial step towards the rapid integration of these advanced loitering munitions into the Bundeswehr.

During the industrial tests, the warheads demonstrated significant penetrating power, reportedly breaching more than 800 mm of armored steel. This capability positions the Virtus drone as a potent weapon against enemy main battle tanks, air-defense missile positions, and radar sites.

The Virtus Kamikaze Drone: Advanced Capabilities

The Virtus drone, also known as a 'loitering munition' or 'One Way Effector-VTO (OWE-V)', is a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) system developed by Stark Defence. Its design incorporates insights from battlefield experience in Ukraine, emphasizing resilience and autonomous operation.

Key features of the Virtus drone include:

• A cruising speed of 120 km/h, accelerating to up to 250 km/h during its terminal dive.
• An endurance of up to 60 minutes in the air.
• A modular payload capacity of up to 5 kg, allowing for configurations tailored to anti-personnel, anti-armor, or electronic warfare missions.
• Autonomous navigation and target recognition, enabling operation in environments with limited or no GPS and independent of constant operator communication.
• An operational range of up to 100 kilometers.
• A rapid deployment time of just five minutes from storage to launch.
• A 'Return-and-Land' function, allowing the drone to return safely for reuse if no target is identified.

The drone's operations are managed through Minerva, Stark's proprietary command-and-control software, which facilitates single-operator control over multiple drones and enables swarm deployments.

Companies Behind the Innovation

TDW, a 100% subsidiary of MBDA Deutschland GmbH and part of the European guided weapon group MBDA, is a leading European developer and manufacturer of warheads for guided weapons. Their expertise was critical in the development and testing of the Virtus warheads.

Stark Defence, founded in 2024 by Florian Seibel and Johannes Schaback, is a German tech startup focused on autonomous strike drones. The company has rapidly emerged as a key player in next-generation defense technologies, with its production facilities capable of large-scale manufacturing.

Future Deployment with the Bundeswehr

The successful tests are intended to pave the way for the rapid equipping of the Bundeswehr with this drone weapon system. Germany plans to acquire up to 12,000 loitering munitions, with Stark Defence identified as one of the key suppliers. Army Inspector Lieutenant General Christian Freuding has outlined plans to establish six units dedicated to operating these newly introduced kamikaze drones by 2029, with the first unit expected to be operational by 2027.

This acquisition is part of a broader, long-term strategy to modernize Germany's armed forces and enhance rapid-response capabilities, particularly in light of evolving geopolitical tensions in Eastern Europe. The 45th Armored Brigade stationed in Lithuania is anticipated to be among the first units to be equipped with these drones. TDW is preparing its production capabilities to manufacture thousands, potentially tens or hundreds of thousands, of these standardized loitering munition warheads annually to meet future demand.