Ukraine's Linza bomber drone clears path for UGV in German exercise

Ukrainian drone maker Frontline Robotics flew its Linza bomber drone alongside German, Ukrainian and other unmanned air, ground and sea systems during Forward Edge 26, a two-week exercise in Germany hosted by Quantum Systems, the company said on social media. In one deployment, Quantum Systems' Vector reconnaissance drone spotted simulated enemy drones along the route of an unmanned ground vehicle, and Linza then attacked the targets by dropping payloads, clearing the way for the ground vehicle, Frontline Robotics said. The company said the drone completed its missions in heavy rain and dense fog, but it did not say how many sorties it flew or how many targets it hit. All of the systems in the exercise were connected through MOSAIC UXS, Quantum Systems' software for controlling and coordinating unmanned platforms from different manufacturers in a single operational picture. Quantum Systems said it ran Forward Edge 26 at a military training area in central Germany and wrapped it up on Oct. 22, with no crewed vehicles in the scenarios. Systems located in Ukraine, the United States and Australia were also flown remotely during the event. The exercise was built around four scenarios: defense against an attacking force, convoy and force protection, coastal and port surveillance, and minelaying and route clearance. In the convoy scenario, laser-based counter-drone systems protected an unmanned convoy, while the maritime scenario linked aerial and sea-based systems for coastal monitoring. Industry participants included Daimler Truck, Volkswagen, XTEND, Planet and Quantum Systems' German-Ukrainian joint ventures, Quantum Frontline Industries and Quantum Tencore Industries. Photo by Quantum Systems. Linza, which means "lens" in Ukrainian, is a quadcopter that can drop munitions on targets, lay mines, carry a radio relay, scout and deliver small loads of supplies to frontline positions. Frontline Robotics first introduced it in 2024 and unveiled the Linza 3.0 version in February, which the company says carries up to 4 kg (8.8 pounds) over a tactical range of 15 km (9 miles), with AI-assisted visual navigation that lets it hold position over a target without relying on satellite signals. Frontline Robotics says more than 80 units of Ukraine's Defense Forces now use the drone. Quantum Systems and Frontline Robotics build Linza together through Quantum Frontline Industries, a joint venture whose factory outside Munich opened in February in the presence of German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and is meant to eventually produce more than 10,000 drones a year. Germany has funded joint production of the Linza under the Build with Ukraine program, and earlier this month the joint venture signed a contract to supply Linza and Zoom reconnaissance drones to Ukraine's National Guard in 2027. Quantum Systems' own Vector, the reconnaissance drone that cued Linza's strike in the exercise, has flown extensively in Ukraine, including a mission in which one aircraft survived 11 hits and kept flying. Frontline Robotics also builds the Burya remote weapon turret, which Danish company Dropla has agreed to integrate on its unmanned ground vehicles.