Allies send new reconnaissance drone, counter-UAS systems to Ukraine

STUTTGART, Germany — Ukraine’s allies in Europe are sending Ukraine new unmanned aerial systems and counter-drone equipment, as the war instigated by Russia enters its 18th month.

German weapons maker Rheinmetall is preparing to send its LUNA NG (next-generation) unmanned reconnaissance drone to Kyiv, the company announced Aug. 14. The system should be delivered by the end of the year, according to a spokesperson.

The LUNA NG is part of a sizable military aid package for Ukraine initiated by the German government in July. The Bundeswehr calls the system “Husar.” Per Rheinmetall, it includes a ground control station and several UAVs, as well as a launch catapult, an optional net equipment for catching the drones when they land, and equipment for rapid repair. The system is mounted on a Rheinmetall HX truck with a swap body system.

The company asserts the drone can remain aloft for over twelve hours and maintain a datalink range of up to 100 kilometers normally, and up to 300 kilometers when fitted with optional satellite communication equipment.

The Bundeswehr has operated LUNA UAV systems since the early 2000s. Those were originally developed by German manufacturer EMT Penzberg, which was acquired by Rheinmetall in 2021.

The German Ministry of Defence did not respond to questions regarding the total number of LUNA NG units procured for the Bundeswehr, nor the number of units going to Ukraine. Rheinmetall described the order value as a “low, double-digit million euro amount.”

Berlin has already delivered a number of reconnaissance drones to Ukraine, including 88 Vector drones from Quantum Systems, 20 RQ-35 Heidrun systems from Danish company Sky-Watch, and 32 unspecified reconnaissance drones, as of August 9 .

Meanwhile, Ukraine will also soon receive a series of CORTEX Typhon counter-UAS systems made by Norway’s Kongsberg, after the company signed an agreement via the International Fund for Ukraine.

The delivery consists of several CORTEX Typhon systems, developed to counter a wide spectrum of UAVs with solutions to either physically harm or otherwise disable the aerial threat, Kongsberg said in an Aug. 14 press release.

The International Fund for Ukraine (IFU) is a funding mechanism run by the United Kingdom on behalf of several international partners – including the UK, Norway, Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Iceland, and Lithuania – who together have contributed over £770 million ($977 million) to the fund to date. It was established for those partners to identify and procure critical capabilities and deliver them quickly to Ukraine.

The Kongsberg contract value is £56 million ($72 million), per the company. As part of the delivery, the Norwegian government has donated Dingo 2 armored vehicle personnel carriers, Kongsberg remote weapon systems, and additional weapons. The date of delivery, nor the number of units, was not given.

Vivienne Machi is a reporter based in Stuttgart, Germany, contributing to Defense News' European coverage. She previously reported for National Defense Magazine, Defense Daily, Via Satellite, Foreign Policy and the Dayton Daily News. She was named the Defence Media Awards' best young defense journalist in 2020.

德国斯图加特——随着俄罗斯挑起的战争进入第 18 个月，乌克兰在欧洲的盟友正在向乌克兰提供新的无人机系统和反无人机设备。

德国武器制造商莱茵金属公司于8月14日宣布，该公司正准备向基辅交付其LUNA NG（下一代）无人侦察无人机。一位发言人表示，该系统应该会在年底前交付。

LUNA NG系统是德国政府7月启动的一项针对乌克兰的大规模军事援助计划的一部分。德国联邦国防军将该系统称为“骠骑兵”（Husar）。据莱茵金属公司称，该系统包括一个地面控制站、数架无人机、一个弹射器、一套可选的用于在无人机着陆时将其捕获的网状装置以及快速维修设备。该系统安装在莱茵金属HX卡车上，并配备了可更换的车厢。

该公司声称，该无人机可以持续飞行超过 12 小时，正常情况下数据链路范围可达 100 公里，如果配备可选的卫星通信设备，则可达 300 公里。

德国联邦国防军自 2000 年代初就开始使用 LUNA 无人机系统。这些无人机最初由德国制造商 EMT Penzberg 开发，该公司于 2021 年被莱茵金属公司收购。

德国国防部没有回应有关为德国联邦国防军采购的LUNA NG导弹系统总数以及交付给乌克兰的导弹系统数量的询问。莱茵金属公司则称订单金额为“数千万欧元”。

截至 8 月 9 日，柏林已向乌克兰交付了多架侦察无人机，其中包括 Quantum Systems 公司的 88 架 Vector 无人机、丹麦 Sky-Watch 公司的 20 套 RQ-35 Heidrun 系统以及 32 架未指明的侦察无人机。

与此同时，乌克兰也将很快收到挪威康士伯公司生产的一系列 CORTEX Typhon 反无人机系统，此前该公司通过乌克兰国际基金签署了一项协议。

康斯伯格在 8 月 14 日的新闻稿中表示，此次交付的包括多个 CORTEX Typhon 系统，旨在应对各种无人机，提供物理伤害或以其他方式使空中威胁失效的解决方案。

国际援助乌克兰基金（IFU）是由英国代表包括英国、挪威、荷兰、丹麦、瑞典、冰岛和立陶宛在内的多个国际伙伴国运营的融资机制。迄今为止，这些伙伴国已向该基金捐款超过7.7亿英镑（9.77亿美元）。该基金的设立旨在帮助这些伙伴国识别并采购关键能力，并迅速将其交付给乌克兰。

据康斯伯格公司称，该合同价值5600万英镑（7200万美元）。作为交付的一部分，挪威政府捐赠了Dingo 2型装甲运兵车、康斯伯格遥控武器系统以及其他武器装备。交付日期和数量均未公布。

薇薇安·马奇是驻德国斯图加特的一名记者，主要负责《防务新闻》的欧洲报道。她此前曾为《国家防务杂志》、《防务日报》、《卫星通讯》、《外交政策》和《代顿每日新闻》撰稿。2020年，她荣获防务媒体奖最佳青年防务记者称号。