What kind of new super UAVs that “see and hear” will the Ukrainian Armed Forces receive from Germany?
The Armed Forces of Ukraine will receive the latest Luna NG drone from defense giant Rheinmetall – we tell you what the modern German development can do and what specifications it has
In one of its articles, the German publication Bild says that by the end of this year, Rheinmetall is to supply the Ukrainian Armed Forces with a new reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle system Luna NG (Next Generation).
The Ukrainian military is already using Luna drones on the battlefield, and now it will be equipped with an updated version of this development, which is positioned as “an absolutely new drone system that surpasses the previous model in all important operational characteristics.”
The Luna NG unmanned aerial vehicle is a truly state-of-the-art development presented by Rheinmetall at the Eurosatory defense exhibition in France in June 2022.
The complex consists of a ground control station, several drones (probably depending on the customer’s wishes), a catapult for launching (landing is carried out by parachute) and military trucks.
The drone itself, as Rheinmetall says, has an “ultra-light but very stable fuselage structure” made of carbon fiber reinforced plastic. This design allows the drone to operate in difficult conditions.
The optimal time in the air for Luna NG is 8 hours, the maximum is 12 hours (compared to 6-8 in the previous version), and the drone has a control range of 100 km. According to the developer, “this provides a spatial coverage of more than 30 thousand square kilometers.” The maximum flight altitude is 5000 meters. At the same time, “in flight, the Luna NG impresses with its low acoustic, thermal, and radar signatures,” Rheinmetall says. The drone weighs 40 kg.
The developer assures that the operator can master the Luna NG drone “after a short training period”, noting the extensive automation of the UAV and the ability to plan the mission and analyze data using the software included in the complex.
The main task of the Luna NG drone is reconnaissance and correction, but these UAVs can also provide LTE network coverage or intercept and jam communications.
Die Rheinmetall Combat Drone is der Gamechanger zur Schutz eigener Truppen und zur Bekämpfung taktisch relevanter Ziele.
🔗 https://t.co/DYGSh7iA9q #Rheinmetall #Combat #Drone #UAS #Drohne #Military #Defense #Combatdrone pic.twitter.com/v8t5o96sQs
– Rheinmetall (@RheinmetallAG) April 19, 2023
In April 2023, Rheinmetall presented a new version of its Luna NG drone armed with Israeli Hero-R barrage munitions, but this “strike” version will not be supplied to Ukraine for obvious reasons.
