Canada is set to donate over 800 drones to Ukraine to support its military in identifying and detecting targets amid the ongoing conflict with Russia, according to Defence Minister Bill Blair’s announcement on Monday.
The drones, which are Canadian-built and worth over $95 million, will be acquired from Teledyne in Waterloo, Ont. Deliveries to Ukraine’s forces are set to commence as early as this spring, according to the federal government.
“We need to move quickly,” Blair stated during the announcement in Etobicoke, Ont.
This expenditure is a component of a previously disclosed $500 million in military assistance for Ukraine.
According to government officials, drones play a crucial role in surveillance, intelligence gathering, and transporting supplies, such as munitions weighing up to 3.5 kilograms. Drones assist operators in identifying heat sources, humans, and vehicles from a distance, even in low light or adverse weather conditions.
Blair mentioned that Kyiv has emphasized the urgent need for additional drones, which have become a crucial asset for the Ukrainian forces.
The individual mentioned that the drones being given to Ukraine, Teledyne’s SkyRanger R70 multi-mission Unmanned Aerial Systems, provide a utility that greatly boosts their capabilities, especially with their ability to detect and gather information at certain altitudes, which can be valuable for their defense.
Teledyne Flir Begins Drone Production for Ukraine as Canada Expands Military Support
During a recent press conference, Anne Bulik, the vice-president of unmanned systems North America at Teledyne FLIR, announced that the company has already begun production on the units. “I anticipate that we will be able to deliver by late March or early April, with the full order being completed over the next year,” she stated.
The announcement was made on Monday, just before the upcoming two-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.
Canada has generously provided 100 high-resolution drone cameras to Ukraine and has pledged $2.4 billion in military assistance over the past two years, as part of a total assistance package of $9.7 billion to Kyiv.
Last week, Blair announced that Canada would be providing an extra $60 million to support Ukraine’s allies in supplying F-16 fighter jets to their military and training Ukrainian pilots.