Canada to donate 800 drones to Ukraine: Blair
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Canada will donate more than 800 drones to Ukraine as part of an additional aid package to the country, Defence Minister Bill Blair announced on Monday. The drones, worth an estimated $95 million, are paid for by the $500 million package unveiled by the prime minister during his visit to Kyiv last June.
Canada will donate more than 800 drones to Ukraine as part of an additional aid package to the country, Defence Minister Bill Blair announced on Monday.
The drones, worth an estimated $95 million, are paid for by the $500 million package unveiled by the prime minister during his visit to Kyiv last June. Since February, 2022, Canada has spent $9.7 billion supporting Ukraine, including $2.4 billion on military aid.
The donation “ensures that Ukraine has the drones it needs to detect and identify targets which are critical” to its defence against Russia’s ongoing military effort, Blair said in a media release. “Canada will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes.”
The SkyRanger R70 drones are made in Canada and sourced from Teledyne, a Waterloo, Ont.-based company. They can carry “various camera systems and payloads to detect and identify targets,” reads the release.
The quad-propeller aircraft are short of a metre wide, and they’re said to be able to carry up to 3.5 kilograms. The release says the drones will help Ukrainian forces locate individuals and vehicles from far away.
Blair also said he wants to increase Canada’s production of military goods, adding, “Production is defence.” Canada is expected to deliver the SkyRanger drones by early April.
“The only response to a tyrant like Vladimir Putin is strength and resilience,” said Blair. “We will not forget Ukraine. We will never abandon Ukraine … until it wins this war.”
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