The German Federal Government has delivered the first batch of 20 RQ-35 Heidrun unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to Ukraine, manufactured by the Danish technology company Sky-Watch. These drones will significantly enhance the intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capability of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
As reported by Defence Industry Europe, Berlin announced earlier this month that it would supply the Armed Forces of Ukraine with a total of 80 RQ-35 Heidrun drones. Just one week later, the German Federal Government revealed that the initial batch of 20 RQ-35 Heidrun drones had already been delivered to Ukraine. However, the schedule for future drone deliveries to the Armed Forces of Ukraine has not been disclosed by Berlin.
RQ-35 Heidrun drones are already well-known among Ukrainian UAV operators. In 2022, the Danish government supplied the Ukrainian army with a batch of these drones, and their operational experience during a full-scale military conflict allowed Sky-Watch engineers to implement valuable improvements to the RQ-35 Heidrun.
According to Sky-Watch, the RQ-35 Heidrun is a combat-proven, fixed-wing, mini UAV designed for low-altitude surveillance intelligence and reconnaissance missions. It serves as an organic ISR platform, providing ground force commanders with high situational awareness. With a range of up to 30 kilometers of live video feed, the drone is ideal for collecting real-time sensor data from any mission-critical area, without exposing the operator to direct fire dangers.
Moreover, collecting images of a mission area or POI allows the S2 Intelligence Section to generate high-resolution, textured 2D and 3D mesh models for powerful analysis, as stated by the company.
