Ukraine to Buy 11 AeroVironment PUMA-LE Drones to See Deep into Russian-held Areas

Ukraine will buy 11 AeroVironment-made PUMA-LE reconnaissance drones that will allow their forces to peek into Russian-held positions far behind the battle lines.

The PUMA-LE drones, together with Long-Range Tracking Antenna (LRTA), would be able to cover a distance of up to 60 km.

This procurement valued UAH 541.67 million ($14.666 million) would take place through the Army of Drones project.

“These drones are equipped with a conventional and thermal imaging camera with 6x zoom. This allows identifying the enemy during day, night, and under any weather conditions,” Mykhailo Fedorov, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, announced on Telegram.

PUMA-LE has a wingspan of 4.6 m and a total length of 2.2 m, together with the installed changeable Mantis i45 optical-electronic system. UAV’s take-off weight is 10.7 kg. It can operate in-flight for 6.5 hours using an additional Puma Smart 2500 battery. The UAV’s flight duration is about 6 hours, and the flight altitude is up to 3 km.

The drone can be launched manually, from a catapult, or from the vehicle.