UNITED24 Foundation equips eight new UAV strike units
8 May, 2023 Transferred UAVs, vehicles, and equipment for the UAV strike company, May 8, 2023. Photo credits: Mykhailo Fedorov. Eight UAV strike companies in the ranks of the Armed Forces have been equipped due to the UNITED24 platform and at the expense of the state budget.
Mykhailo Fedorov, Minister of Digital Transformation, said about this in his social networks. Newly formed units received off-road vehicles, communication capacities, as well as strike quadcopters and FPV drones. The Minister of Digital Transformation, Mykhailo Fedorov, emphasized that all drones are Ukrainian-made.
"8 new strike companies of unmanned aerial vehicles are ready for battle," Fedorov wrote on his social media accounts.
Transferred UAVs, vehicles, and equipment for the UAV strike company, May 8, 2023. Photo credits: Mykhailo Fedorov.
The published photos feature, in addition to the usual kamikaze drones, Ukrainian Kazhan attack drones. According to the Ukrainian military, these drones have been successfully used on the front lines:
"With the help of this drone, we detected and successfully destroyed concentrations of enemy equipment and manpower. We used 60-mm, 82-mm, and 122-mm mines for this," the drone operator said. Despite its large size, the drone can reach speeds of up to 120 km/h, so it is difficult to aim at it.
One drone can carry three munitions and stay in the air for up to 40 minutes. Kazhan drones are able to fly at any time of the day thanks to an optical camera with a ten-fold zoom and an effective thermal imager.
Transferred UAVs, vehicles, and equipment for the UAV strike company, May 8, 2023. Photo credits: Mykhailo Fedorov.
The minister also stressed the importance of UAV strike units:
"The creation of UAV strike companies is an unprecedented and timely step. I am grateful to the General Staff, the Ministry of Defense, and the State Special Communications Service of Ukraine for their innovative approach to decision-making. The three UAV strike companies that we launched a few months ago already have successful results at the front," Fedorov said.
Previously, Militarnyi reported on the establishment of the three UAV strike companies mentioned above. Such units are being created for the first time in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. General Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces, authorized the formation of UAV strike companies.
Their development is being carried out as part of the "Army of Drones" initiative.
The military noted that the most professional servicemen who will lead the strike companies have already been selected.
Each of them is to receive drones and ammunition, as well as Starlink for communications and other necessary equipment, they said.