The Armed Forces of Ukraine will be receiving RQ-20 Puma UAVs from the United States military.

Militarnyi reports about this with the reference to the April 1 announcement from the US Department of Defense.

The transfer will be made within the agreed additional tranche of $300 million worth of military aid.

Taras Chmut, Founder of Militarnyi, regards this announcement as extremely positive news:

“It is a solid military (make note here) product that can cover the needs of the battalions and the Navy”.

RQ-20 Puma is a light military unmanned aerial vehicle created by AeroVironment. The RQ-11 Raven UAVs (previously shipped to the Armed Forces for their combat operations in the ATO/JFO zone) were used as a basis during the development stage.

The UAV is equipped with four cameras (two optical and two infrared).

The launch is done manually. The operator manages the flight, yet the autonomous flight mode is also possible.

Specifications:

Length: 1.4 m
Wingspan: 2.8 m
Maximum take-off weight: 5.9 kg
Engine power: 1 hp
Top speed: 83 km / h
Cruising speed: 37 km / h
Range: 15 km
Flight duration: 2 hours

The aircraft was first used in 2007, and since 2008, it has been in service of the US Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force, and Special Operations Forces.

Also, Puma is used by the military in Albania, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, France, Germany, Latvia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

The value of the complex is estimated at $250 thousand.