STARK was established in 2024 by a group of German technologists and entrepreneurs, including Florian Seibel, Uwe Horstmann, and Johannes Schaback. The company was formed to address urgent operational demands highlighted by the
Russian invasion of Ukraine. In early 2025,
STARK launched its flagship products, the
OWE-V Virtus loitering munition and the
Minerva mission control suite. By mid-2025, the company opened a new production facility in
Munich, and later that year the
German Federal Ministry of Defence reportedly placed an order for extended testing and trials of the
OWE-V Virtus with the
Bundeswehr. In July 2025, the company announced it would open a 40,000 sq ft factory in
Swindon, UK. The following month, the company raised $62 million in a new funding round led by
Sequoia Capital, valuing the company at $500 million. In 2025,
STARK reportedly carried out a coordinated recce-strike mission in Ukraine using their reconnaissance and precision strike platforms. In the same year, the company was reported to have secured a €300 million contract with the
German Bundeswehr for the delivery of loitering munitions and supporting systems. In October 2025,
Financial Times reported that
Stark had conducted trials with the British and German militaries in which none of its four
Virtus attack-drone strike attempts hit their targets. In Germany, one drone lost control and crashed into a forest, while in Kenya another drone's battery ignited after impact.
STARK argued that such crashes are part of its testing process, claiming that it had crashed drones "a hundred times" during development. In November 2025, it was announced that Germany planned to award
STARK,
Helsing and
Rheinmetall contracts worth up to €900 million (each company will receive approximately €300 million) for 12,000
kamikaze drones in total. The
Bundeswehr decided for drones from
Helsing and
STARK in April 2025. == Products ==