On April 15, 2024, the Netherlands, in collaboration with Denmark and Germany, announced plans to order RQ-35 Heidrun UAVs worth €200 million for delivery to Ukraine. This decision comes after an extraordinary meeting of the Drone Coalition, which includes Great Britain, Latvia, Denmark, Estonia, Lithuania, Canada, the Netherlands, Germany, and Sweden.
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Equipped with a triple-lens camera system, the Heidrun can transmit live video feed over distances exceeding 30 kilometers, providing real-time situational awareness. (Picture source: Sky-Watch)
During the meeting, Canada announced it would begin transferring 450 SkyRanger air defense systems to Ukraine starting this summer. Additionally, Lithuania committed €3 million for the production of FPV drones for Ukraine, and Germany will transfer 211 Vector reconnaissance drones. These discussions and decisions underscored the coalition's strategic coordination to respond to the urgent Ukrainian need for resources to counter Russian attacks, as emphasized by Ukraine's Deputy Minister of Defense, Kateryna Chernogorenko, and Latvian Defense Minister Andris Spruds.
The recent decision to purchase RQ-35 reconnaissance UAVs further solidifies the support for Ukraine from the Netherlands, bringing their total support to €3 billion for next year. In March 2024, Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren, following a meeting of the Contact Group on Defense of Ukraine, said that the Netherlands would purchase aviation weapons for F-16 fighter jets, which would soon be transferred to Ukraine. Additionally, in April 2024, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced that the country would provide an additional €1 billion in military aid to Ukraine, along with €400 million for the country's reconstruction efforts.
The imminent arrival of RQ-35 drones is bound to meet the expectations of Ukrainian soldiers, as previous reports from the Ukrainian Army highlighted the effectiveness of the RQ-35 Heidrun in combat situations. Manufactured by the Danish company Sky-Watch, these UAVs offer advanced capabilities suitable for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions. Furthermore, Sky-Watch engineers have incorporated technical improvements into the UAV based on operational experiences in Ukraine, enhancing its resistance to electronic warfare and ability to navigate in GNSS-denied airspace.
The RQ-35 Heidrun is a fixed-wing mini Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) primarily designed for low-altitude video surveillance and reconnaissance tasks. Equipped with a triple-lens camera system, including visible and thermal imaging capabilities, the Heidrun can transmit live video feed over distances exceeding 30 kilometers, providing real-time situational awareness. It offers a flight time of up to 100 minutes, a maximum wind tolerance of 12 meters per second, and a service ceiling of 5,200 meters above sea level. The camera payload platform features stabilized gimbals, offering optical zoom ranging from 20x to 40x and additional digital zoom options. Additionally, the radio frequency transmission, which operates within the 2.2 to 2.5 GHz spectrum, ensures secure data transmission.
