Canada to donate Ukraine over 800 SkyRanger R70 drones – Defense Minister

09:56, 20.02.2024 1 min read

Canada will transfer more than 800 SkyRanger R70 multi-mission unmanned aerial systems to Ukraine to help in the war with Russia, Canadian Defense Minister Bill Blair said.

"Today's announcement ensures that Ukraine has the drones it needs to detect and identify targets which are critical to Ukraine’s ongoing fight. Canada will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes," Blair said.

It is noted that the drones, sourced from Teledyne FLIR in Waterloo, Ontario, are valued at more than $70 million. The donation is funded by $500 million in military support announced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last year in Kyiv.

SkyRanger R70 drones are manufactured in Canada and supplied by Teledyne. They are equipped with "various camera systems and payloads to detect and identifying targets," the mass of explosives is up to 3.5 kilograms. Canada is expected to deliver the SkyRanger drones by early April.