2/17/2026
WHEN DRONES DECIDE ON THEIR OWN
At the SPRIND Funke Fully Autonomous Flight 2.0
European teams demonstrate the next generation of autonomous drones.
How can fully autonomous flight succeed – without GNSS and without human control?
To answer precisely this question, 13 teams from across Europe gathered on January 28 and 29 at the Bundeswehr Innovation Center in Erding. Over the course of seven months, they had been developing their solutions as part of our SPRIND Funke Fully Autonomous Flight 2.0
– now they demonstrated the future viability of their systems under real-world conditions.
In Stage 1, SPRIND supported each team with up to €150,000 as well as intensive hands-on coaching from experts in research, industry, and defense.
The task was demanding: to develop an aerial system capable of operating safely without GNSS support and without human intervention – validated through two clearly defined missions under realistic operational conditions.
At the heart of the challenge lies the development of alternative localization methods beyond satellite-based navigation. The teams pursued different technological approaches. The goal is to create robust systems capable of operating reliably even in GNSS-denied environments.
Not every flight went as planned. Yet this is precisely where the unique character of the SPRIND Funke became evident: progress arises not only from success, but also from consistent learning.
The program’s momentum is so strong that some teams are even willing to continue advancing their developments at their own expense in order to participate in the SPRIND Funke.
While we understand that our results did not fully meet your expectations, the experience provided us with valuable insights and lessons that will strongly inform our future work.
(Fábio Azevedo, Beyond Vision)
Participating in this challenge definitely helped us develop our product and become one step closer to being a successful company.
(Maryna Tymchenko, Blue Arrow)
Seven teams successfully completed the demanding missions and qualified for Stage 2. Each will receive up to €350,000 to further develop their systems and prepare for the final challenge.
Our congratulations go to: F4F & CTU Skygraph, FAU-LM, MUNWAG, Avientus RadNav, HERMES, Fox Storm, and UBASWARM.
They are now working on the next stage of development – with the goal of turning fully autonomous, resilient flight systems into reality.
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