Drohnen: Quantum Systems dank US-Investor mit CIA und FBI im Geschäft
Der deutsche Drohnenbauer profitierte beim US-Markteintritt von US-Investor In-Q-Tel. Der Fall zeigt die wachsende Bedeutung von US-Kapital für Europas Rüstungsbranche.
Quantum Systems, a German drone manufacturer, has benefited from the support of In-Q-Tel (IQT), a CIA-connected investor, as it entered the US market. IQT helped open doors in Washington and secure contracts with the US foreign intelligence agency CIA and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), according to Co-CEO Sven Kruck in a Reuters interview.
Kruck explained that while the investments from IQT were often less than three million dollars, they gained significance through networking with US arms buyers. IQT has also invested in Berlin-based drone startup Stark and previously supported Palantir and the defense company Anduril. While Germany is seen as a crucial innovation partner and strategic ally, the Bundesregierung aims to reduce dependence on Washington.
However, this growing presence of IQT in the US raises concerns in Europe about the increasing binding of new strategically important technologies to US interests. In-Q-Tel is not merely a financial investor; it has the mandate to secure the best technologies for US intelligence, stated EU Parliament Security and Defense Committee Chair Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann. European politicians are calling for more to be done to direct funds into European startups.
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