Syos Aerospace, based in Tauranga, New Zealand, has signed a deal worth more than $40 million with the UK to supply unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to Ukraine, including unmanned helicopters and surface drones.
The agreement was announced by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who noted that Britain and New Zealand are increasing defense spending, The Post reports.
«In addition to their support in training Ukrainian forces, military planners from the New Zealand Defence Force are contributing to the latest thinking and plans for post-conflict support to Ukraine within the Coalition of the Willing,» the British government said in a statement.
As noted by «Military», Syos Aerospace produces the SA200 unmanned helicopter with a payload of 200 kg and a flight duration of 2 hours. With an additional fuel tank, it has a range of up to 1,000 km and more than 8 hours of operation.
Another product of the company — the autonomous surface drone SM300 — has a payload of 300 kg and a range of about 1050 km. Upon request, the company can integrate various systems into it. It is noted that the SM300 has a high level of autonomy with AI support and the ability to operate in swarms.
The New Zealand company also produces ground drones — robotic complexes SG400 UGV. Syos Aerospace claims that this is a «cost-effective, durable, autonomous ground vehicle» with a 6×6 drive and the ability to install additional tracked engines. The payload of this UAV is 500 kg, and the range is up to 230 km.
Recall that in February this year, the European defense company Helsing announced the production of 6,000 HX-2 attack drones for delivery to Ukraine. Previously, it created 4,000 HF-1 attack drones for the Defense Forces.
