Black Hornet
The British and Norwegian defense ministries have agreed to supply “Black Hornet” micro drones to Ukraine for free. The supply costs 9.25bn dollars. The amount includes the cost of transportation and training of the AFU (Armed forces of Ukraine) servicemen. The delivery will be paid by the British side, while Norway contributed 41.1m dollars to the project.
The main functions of the drone are reconnaissance and identification. The Norwegian Ministry of Defense noted that drones are quite easy to use, difficult to detect, and well assembled. The drones were developed back in 2014, their mass application began in 2018. It is noted that the drone developed by Norwegians is a leader in the global market. It is used in several countries, including the United States, Britain, and France. It should be noted that the UAV system consists of two drones, a charger, and a control tablet. The weight of the set is 1.3 kg. The micro UAV can rise to an altitude of up to 3 km. It is equipped with two cameras. The device may speed up to 6 m/sec. Thanks to its light weight, quietness, and maneuverability, the UAV can perform operations in different conditions and transmit highly accurate photos and video in real-time to the operator. As a result, soldiers have an overview ща 25 minutes and can assess the situation on the battlefield. The UAVs will be bought from Teledyne Flir, a developer of thermal imaging and sensors.
The AFU test drone
Part of the funds will be used to install special Nightfighter drone protection system, developed by the British company SteelRock Technologies. The total cost of the equipment will be 100 million Norwegian kroner. Nightfighter is a portable jamming system particularly useful to protect small patrols and artillery positions.
The supply of weapons to Ukraine by Western countries indicates two things. They still support Ukraine and they are willing to continue spending their budgets on the Ukrainian army. Norway spent a total of $213.8 million to Ukraine, while London has already allocated $75 billion since the beginning of the Russian military operations in Ukraine.
MORE ON THE TOPIC:
