It will be assigned to the reconnaissance branch of the German Army and also to the artillery

The German Bundeswehr has awarded Rheinmetall a €200 million contract to supply 12 new LUNA NG air-supported reconnaissance drone.

With the amendment contract signed on 28 September, Rheinmetall took over a project left incomplete by the original system manufacturer.

LUNA NG, a German acronym standing for Air-supported Unmanned Short-range Reconnaissance Equipment, Next Generation, is one of the world’s newest systems for unmanned air-supported reconnaissance, classification and recognition of objects in real-time. It will be known in the German armed forces as HUSAR, which stands for “High-Efficiency Unmanned System for Medium-Range Reconnaissance.”

The HUSAR will be assigned to the German Army’s reconnaissance branch and the artillery. Each system consists of five reconnaissance drones, two ground control systems, two launcher vehicles, two antenna masts, a repair shop and three transport platforms.

The war in Ukraine showed how important real-time reconnaissance is at an operational level. LUNA NG was indeed developed for this purpose.