Canada to donate 800 SkyRanger R70 to Ukraine
The SkyRanger R70 has been ordered by, or is in service with, Australia, New Zealand and Norway. (Photo: Teledyne-FLIR)
Canada will donate more than 800 Teledyne FLIR SkyRanger R70 multi-mission UAS to Ukraine under a CAD90 million (US$67 million) plan announced on 19 February. Canada has been working with Ukraine on a training plan and delivery schedule, with delivery expected to begin before mid-year.
The donation, part of CAD500 million assigned for military assistance for Ukraine, was announced by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during his visit to Kyiv in June 2023 and will complement more than 100 high-resolution drone cameras sourced from L3 Wescam and also donated by Canada.
Bill Blair, minister of national defence for Canada, last week announced that Canada would make a new contribution of CAD60 million to the Ukraine Defense Contact Group Air Force Capability Coalition to support the setup of a sustainable F-16 fighter aircraft capability in Ukraine.
The funds will help source vitally needed F-16 supplies and equipment such as spare parts, weapons stations, avionics and ammunition. Canada has also been contributing to multinational efforts to train Ukrainian pilots.
Blair said: “Today’s announcement ensures that Ukraine has the [UAS] it needs to detect and identify targets which are critical to Ukraine’s ongoing fight. Canada will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes.”
Related Programmes in Defence Insight
SkyRanger R70 (Ukraine Aid) [Canada]
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Air Warfare
-
Update: India’s Rafale-M deal postponed
New Delhi had been gearing up to sign a Navy Rafale deal as talks swirled around a potential assembly line in Nagpur.
-
Turkey’s Eurofighter process going to plan despite German block, says minister
The comment, made by Turkish defence minister Yasar Guler, also noted that the 40-strong sale of Eurofighter Typhoons was primarily managed by the UK, not Germany.
-
Belgium considers additional F-35 order to boost fleet
The statement from Prime Minister Bart De Wever during a parliamentary session follows the country’s Easter Agreement which would see it increase defence spending to 2% of GDP by the end of 2025.
-
Northrop Grumman notes $477 million loss as it manages higher B-21 programme costs
In its Q1 earnings call, the company disclosed a US$477 million pretax loss related to the programme as it works to scale up.
-
Lockheed Martin wants to “supercharge” F-35 after NGAD loss
The investment in technologies developed for Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) aircraft bid will now be applied to its F-35 and F-22 aircraft, according to Lockheed Martin CEO James Taiclet.