According to information released by the German Chancellor’s Office, Germany will supply a large batch of RQ-35 Heidrun reconnaissance drones to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The RQ-35 Heidrun unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is designed for conducting low-altitude intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions. It is produced by the Danish drone maker, Sky-Watch company. An unspecified number of these drones were delivered to Ukraine by the government of Denmark in 2022, allowing the Armed Forces of Ukraine’s drone operators to become familiar with the equipment.
Reports from the Ukrainian army indicate that the RQ-35 Heidrun has shown high effectiveness in real combat scenarios. However, based on experiences gathered during operations, engineers from Sky-Watch company have implemented several technical improvements into the UAV.
“Based on our experiences from Ukraine, our skilled engineers have configured the RQ-35 Heidrun to be highly EW resistant and capable of flying in GNSS denied airspace,” the company said on its website.
The German government has not provided any additional details regarding the future deliveries of RQ-35 Heidrun to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
However, the well-recognized and trusted German website, Soldat und Technik, reports that the drones will be delivered to Ukraine by the German defence company, Dynamit Nobel Defence (DND). The website states that DND has established a strategic partnership with the Danish company Sky-Watch.
The cooperation between the two companies aims to integrate the RQ-35 Heidrun drone with DND-developed sensor-to-shooter digital technologies. Furthermore, DND will play the role of a distribution partner for Sky-Watch.
Source: Defence Industry Europe