AeroVironment, Inc. announced it is donating more than 100 reconnaissance drones to Ukraine to shore up its defense against the Russian invasion.
The Quantix unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) will provide Ukrainian soldiers “accurate and rapid reconnaissance of remote, inaccessible areas of the dynamically changing battlefield,” the Virginia-based drone manufacturer’s chairman, president, and chief executive officer Wahid Nawabi said.
The 2.3-kilogram (5-pound), easy-to-use vertical takeoff and landing drone scans up to 1.6 square kilometers (0.6 square miles), or 20 linear kilometers (12.4 miles) in a “45-minute single battery flight.”
Flies Undetected
Quantix’s “radio frequency silent mode” allows it to evade jammers and fly undetected, providing georeferenced, high-resolution imagery within minutes, allowing warfighters to plan missions accurately.
Half of the drones are expected to be delivered this week, immediately followed by operational training.
AeroVironment’s Switchblade loitering munitions were part of the arms consignment the US administration shipped to Ukraine last month.
The Quantix donation is “independent of other AeroVironment tactical missile systems and UAS already being provided to Ukraine by the United States Government.”