Production of Watchkeeper X combat drones will be established in Romania
The Romanian defense giant Romtehnica has agreed with Ebit Systems on the supply of seven Watchkeeper X drones. The amount of the contract concluded by the parties was 410 million USD. Romania decided to follow the example of its Eastern European allies, who began to buy UAVs after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
According to the agreements, Romanian defense enterprises will undertake the production of mechanical and electrical systems for Watchkeeper X. They will be responsible for the maintenance of the aircraft.
The progenitor of Watchkeeper X is the Israeli Hermes 450 drone manufactured by Ebit Systems. The drone is manufactured by U-TacS, which was founded by Elbit together with Thales UK.
Last fall, Poland agreed to lease several MQ-9A Reaper drones. They are produced by General Atomics. In the near future, Warsaw plans to conclude a contract for the supply of modern combat drones. In turn, the Lithuanian government allocated funds for the purchase of American Switchblade kamikaze UAVs. In addition, Moldova and the Czech Republic plan to order combat drones.
