Analysis

November 6, 2025

Strike drone startup Stark’s military test failures could have ‘damaging’ effect on industry

Reaction to the buzzy German strike drone startup’s recent military test failures may be overblown — but could damage wider industry


Anne Sraders

6 min read

Stark drone

When high-profile German startup Stark failed recent tests of its strike drones with the UK and German militaries, word of the mishap rippled through the defence industry. 

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Anne Sraders

Anne Sraders is a senior reporter at Sifted, based in Berlin. She covers the venture capital industry and deeptech startups, including robotics, spacetech and defence tech. She also writes Sifted's weekly VC newsletter Up Round. Follow her on X and LinkedIn

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