Berlin will reportedly deliver the Luna NG aerial reconnaissance drones to Ukraine by the end of this year (with the apparent prediction that the conflict will still be going on in the next 4 months, by December... at least)

Berlin, August 14 (RHC)-- Berlin plans to deliver the Luna NG aerial reconnaissance drones to Ukraine by the end of this year, according to reports from German media.   Bild am Sonntag newspaper reported on Saturday that the German defense firm Rheinmetall will deliver the supplies under a governmental contract.

The “drones package” consists of ground control stations with several drones, catapult launch systems, as well as military trucks.

Luna NG, signifying "new generation," constitutes an advanced military apparatus endowed not only with reconnaissance capabilities but also equipped with LTE network and intercept or jam communications.

The drone can fly up to 5,000 meters in altitude and has a reconnaissance range of several hundred kilometers.  Although future versions of the drone may accommodate weaponry, the news outlet said, the forthcoming units earmarked for Ukraine will lack this feature.

The Rheinmetall Group website reports that the ultra-light Luna NG provides a flight time of more than 12 hours and a data transmission range of more than 100 km.   The drone provides spatial coverage of more than 30,000 square kilometers.

The latest development came less than a week after the arms firm announced that thirty secondhand Leopard I battle tanks are to be refurbished by the company at the orders of the German government and exported to Ukraine.

Ever since the beginning of the war last February, Western countries, led by the United States, have been imposing sanctions against Russia while pouring tens of billions of dollars worth of advanced weapons into Ukraine – steps that Moscow says would only complicate the situation and prolong the hostilities.  

This support initially encompassed light artillery munitions and training in 2022, subsequently expanding to include heavier armaments such as tanks throughout the same year and into 2023.

Recent months have witnessed Ukraine advocating for the provision of fighter jets.  However, Russia has repeatedly cautioned against additional arms shipments to Kiev, saying such actions could be perceived as justifiable military targets.