LUNA NG goes on a mission in Ukraine

The "Airborne Unmanned Next Generation Reconnaissance Equipment" (LUNA NG) will now go into operation in Ukraine. Still in the current year 2023, the Düsseldorf technology group will deliver a system for airborne reconnaissance to the Ukrainian armed forces on behalf of the Federal Republic of Germany.

The contract now issued amounts to a low double-digit million euro value. Rheinmetall is thus making another important contribution to increase the capabilities of the Ukrainian armed forces through superior technology. The LUNA NG system has already accumulated several thousand flight hours and has already proven itself in use with foreign customers.

The operational experiences from the Ukraine war show the crucial role that real-time reconnaissance results play in operational command. The LUNA NG was developed precisely for this purpose. It is therefore one of the newest systems for unmanned airborne reconnaissance, classification, and real-time object detection.
The Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) LUNA NG consists of a ground control station with multiple aircraft, the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs, "drones"). The system also includes the launch catapult, an optional catching net equipment for landing, and devices for rapid repair. All system components are transported on Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles' HX trucks with interchangeable loading systems.

Thanks to its aerodynamic, ultralight, and highly stable design, the LUNA NG drone offers a flight time of over twelve hours. With a data link range via optional SatCom equipment, it has a reconnaissance capability of several hundred kilometers with sufficient dwell time over the deployment area.

The LUNA NG system now commissioned for Ukraine is part of an extensive aid package that the German government initiated for the country in July 2023. The Bundeswehr is introducing the unmanned reconnaissance system LUNA NG with minimal adjustments as a new reconnaissance drone "HUSAR."

The contract now awarded is a significant milestone for Rheinmetall, both for its UAV and digitalization strategy. LUNA NG is an advanced sensor component for networked operational command, significantly enhancing the performance of the sensor-to-shooter chain. At the same time, LUNA NG provides the basis for future development of the Rheinmetall product portfolio in both the vertical take-off and landing capabilities (VTOL) and tactical payloads.

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