Rheinmetall unable to finalize contract for FV-014 drones for Ukraine for several months
Kyiv • UNN
The German concern cannot supply the latest Raider drones due to lack of funding. The first batch of 200 units costs over 10 million euros.
The German defense company Rheinmetall has stated that it is ready to transfer the first batch of the latest FV-014 Raider loitering munitions to Ukraine, but the supply contract has not yet been signed. This was announced by the company's CEO Armin Papperger in an interview with DW, writes UNN.
Details
According to the director, Rheinmetall offered Ukraine to supply the first 200 drones, but the process is delayed due to funding issues.
The situation is that there is a big problem with funding
New loitering munition
The FV-014 Raider is a new loitering drone that Rheinmetall presented at the DSEI exhibition last year. It can stay in the air for up to 70 minutes, has a flight range of up to 100 km, and is equipped with a warhead weighing about 5 kg. The possibility of using a swarm of such drones is also provided.
The company notes that the funding problem is already affecting other supplies to Ukraine. In particular, Rheinmetall previously stated that it has ammunition in its warehouses that it could transfer to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but they are not being purchased due to a lack of funds. According to experts, even the first batch of 200 drones could cost more than 10 million euros.