Ukraine has requested CRV7 rockets from Canada

6 February, 2024 CRV7 rockets. Photo credits: armedconflicts.com Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov, Chief of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, announced that Ukraine has requested the transfer of CRV7 unguided rockets from Canada.

He discussed this in an interview with Global News. Currently, more than 83 thousand of these decommissioned rockets are in the Canadian Army depot in Dundurn, near Saskatoon, and are expecting disposal. Three years ago, the Canadian government signed a contract with a private company to dispose of these munitions over several years.

According to Budanov, these unguided rockets would help Ukraine confront Russian troops and save Canadian taxpayers the cost of disposing of them.

Kyrylo Budanov, Chief of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine. Photo credits: Defence Intelligence of Ukraine

"We hope this becomes a win-win situation," the DIU Chief noted. According to Budanov, both Ukrainian attack helicopters and ground launchers can use the CRV7s to destroy Russian equipment.

Ukraine has discussed this issue with Canada but is still awaiting a decision. Canadian officials previously indicated that they were considering transferring those rockets to Ukraine, but warned that CRV7 was already outdated and could be dangerous for use and transportation. However, the DIU Chief notes that the Ukrainian military is accustomed to working with old ammunition.

CRV7 rockets. Photo credits: magellan.aero

According to Ukraine's estimates, about 8,000 70mm missiles are in good condition, some of which are still equipped with warheads. Also, the warheads can be removed from the unusable CRV7s for use by Ukrainian drones.

The Canadian Ministry of Defense is conducting tests to ensure that the weapons are operationally effective and safe to transport to Ukraine before any potential donation is made.