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The Finnish company Insta, together with Ukrainian specialists, has developed a new Steel Eagle ER drone with an extended range, specially adapted to the conditions of war in Ukraine. Its official presentation will take place on January 29 in Helsinki at the SecD Day event.
This was reported by the Finnish broadcaster Yle.
The Steel Eagle ER drone has already entered the stage of mass production, but only test flights are currently being conducted. According to Tuure Lehtoranta, Sales and Marketing Director of Insta’s defense division, the device is designed specifically for frontline conditions, taking into account the realities of the war in Ukraine.
The drone is equipped with a propeller developed by Ukrainian partners, as well as a special radio signal system for control. It has the ability to relay (transmit data) and supports a first-person view through special goggles that allow the operator to see everything from the drone’s point of view.
The Steel Eagle ER features a unique warhead developed in Finland. It contains explosives and fires steel and tungsten bullets. Tungsten is an ultra-hard metal that is widely used in the defense industry because of its high melting point and resistance.
Thanks to this charge, the drone is able to penetrate the roof of conventional and lightly armored vehicles from a height of several tens of meters. Its main purpose is to destroy enemy manpower. Experts estimate that three such drones can neutralize a group of infantry on an area the size of a football field.
Steel Eagle ER also has a long range and increased resistance to electronic warfare.
In early January, it became known that the United Kingdom, along with its NATO allies, would provide Ukraine with 30,000 new drones.
On January 14, the German government updated its list of military aid to Ukraine to include artillery shells and drones.
Lithuania recently handed over a batch of drones to Ukraine, as well as thermal imagers and telescopic handlers for the Armed Forces.
