Quantum Systems confirmed late October cyber attack; German armed forces grounded drones

Quantum Systems confirmed that hostile actors carried out an active cyber attack in late October that breached the Gilching-based defense technology firm, and the German armed forces grounded the company’s drones as a precaution following the attack on the manufacturer.

The intrusion affected the company’s unmanned systems that support drone operations. Quantum Systems described QBase as its ground-control and mission-planning software, the tool used to plan drone missions. Der Spiegel and the Financial Times reported, citing internal sources, that someone placed a malicious QBase update file on the vendor’s update server. The server distributes updates for ground-control and mission-planning software.

Der Spiegel said the Vector reconnaissance drone, which the German military calls Falke, uses QBase for mission planning. Quantum received alarms after an unscheduled update reached customers, but the company does not know how many installed it. BleepingComputer and AeroTime reported the company’s confirmation of the intrusion.

The Financial Times reported that the grounding kept Quantum Systems out of a recent military exercise. Quantum Systems said its IT and security teams contained the threat with help from authorities and notified the relevant agencies. Authorities responding to the breach include military counterintelligence MAD, the domestic intelligence service BfV, and the federal cybersecurity agency BSI. State authorities along with internal and external cybersecurity experts continue to investigate the incident.

Quantum Systems announced on Nov. 13, 2026 through a spokesperson that its Bundeswehr-operated drones are flying again after the precautionary grounding. “The fleet is operating normally around the globe, including Germany and the Bundeswehr,” a spokesperson said. The German military has not independently confirmed that drone flights have resumed.

The company did not disclose when the grounding started or concluded or how many drones were involved. The manufacturer said its unmanned systems are safe for end users and operators, yet it has not published an independent technical assessment to back that claim.

Quantum Systems is a Gilching-based German defense technology firm that manufactures reconnaissance and interceptor drones, unmanned systems, and software to control them. Germany’s military uses the company’s drones, including Vector reconnaissance aircraft acquired through the FALKE program.

The company said it believes attackers targeted it because of its recent announcement backing Ukraine. Quantum Systems also said persistent cyber attacks have targeted the European defense industry for years, and it declined to attribute this incident. “The European defense industry has been facing persistent cyberattacks for years,” the company said.

CubePilot, an Australian drone manufacturer that openly supports Ukraine, was hit by a DNS hijacking attack in July that caused severe operational disruption. DNS hijacking redirects internet traffic by resolving domain names to the wrong addresses, sending users to the wrong destination instead of the intended one. The CubePilot case is a comparable incident at another drone maker that openly supports Ukraine. BleepingComputer reported that DNS hijacking could deliver malicious updates to CubePilot drone users downstream, though this level of compromise was never confirmed.

Germany announced funding in October for tens of thousands of interceptor drones made by Quantum Systems to be built in Ukraine for Ukrainian forces. Friedrich Merz pledged financing for SPYS interceptor drones, with the quantity described as several tens of thousands, Quantum Systems said on Oct. 4, 2026. Quantum WIY Industries, a joint venture between Quantum Systems and WIY Drones, produces SPYS aircraft in Ukraine to counter Russian attack drones including jet-powered models.

A framework agreement signed in September 2023 with Germany’s BAAINBw covers an initial 14 systems, with deliveries set to begin in late 2024. The agreement was the company’s initial framework contract for drone systems.

Quantum Systems unveiled the PULSE P19 turboprop aircraft, intended for counter-drone missions, at ILA Berlin in June 2026. NATO’s Communications and Information Agency selected Quantum Systems as one of five suppliers for its new counter-drone marketplace on Nov. 5, 2026. The Bundeswehr’s KITU 2 study featured Vector and Scorpion drones flying AI-coordinated swarm missions with Airbus aircraft.