UK donates Malloy heavy-lift drones to Ukraine

13 September, 2023 Malloy T150 drones. Photo credits: Malloy Aeronautics The UK has donated Malloy heavy-lift drones to Ukraine.

The British Ministry of Defense stated that these drones are capable of carrying supplies and weapons to the front line. The Malloy drones can transport weights of up to 180 kg over a distance of 70 km. They have a high level of automation.

They take off and land autonomously and can follow a programmed route in difficult weather conditions. The Malloy T400 has a distributed electric engine function. The aircraft has eight propellers and eight rotors in four locations. This allows it to maintain a stable flight even if one of the propellers fails.

The first mention of the transfer of heavy-lift drones to Ukraine was made by the then British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in May 2022. After that, the Ukrainian military probably received a less powerful version of the drones, the Malloy T150, with a payload of up to 65 kg. The drone is quite compact, which allows it to be folded into a special case.

As previously reported, the UK has also recently handed over four echo sounders worth GBP1.6 million to Ukraine.

Malloy Aeronautics T-600 drone, April 2022 Photo credits: Royal Navy/LPhot Dan Rosenbaum

Surveying equipment and mapping software were donated for this amount.

The equipment should help ensure maritime security and support commercial shipping in the face of Russian attacks.