Germany provides Ukraine with RQ-35 Heidrun reconnaissance drones

Germany provides Ukraine with RQ-35 Heidrun reconnaissance drones as part of a new aid package.

The Ukrainian army will receive 40 RQ-35 Heidrun drones designed for surveillance at a distance of up to 30 km.

RQ-35 Heidrun can be carried by one soldier and launched “off-hand”

RQ-35 Heidrun is small and light; it can be carried by one soldier and launched “off-hand.” The fully equipped RQ-35 Heidrun UAV system and a short-range patch antenna fit into a backpack.

This UAV was developed by Sky Watch from Denmark and is designed to conduct reconnaissance at a range of up to 30 km (using a directional antenna) and for up to 1.5-2.5 hours.

RQ-35 drone: reconnaissance at up to 30 km for up to 2.5 hours

The key advantage of the RQ-35 drone is its resilience in conditions of saturation of electronic warfare interference.

RQ-35’s cruising speed is 16 m/s, with a flight duration of up to 2.5 hours.

The RQ-35 Heidrun is equipped with a 160g dual-channel EO/IR stabilised camera for surveying. For mapping, it uses a camera that combines an APS-C CMOS image sensor with the latest processor to produce 24MP high-fidelity images for various applications.

RQ-35’s technical specifications:

• Flight duration: 1.5-2.5 hours (depending on the application)
• Manual launch
• Deployment time: 5 min.
• Cruising speed: 16 m/s
• Landing range: within a radius of 7.5-12.5 m.

The RQ-35 Heidrun is already being actively supplied to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. For example, actor Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker in Star Wars, called for donations for this drone.