MOSCOW, August 16. /TASS/. The Ukrainian military doubts the effectiveness of the LUNA NG reconnaissance drones that Berlin intends to provide by the end of the year, says Ukrainian military expert Alexander Karpyuk.

"As long as the Russian army has enough air defense weapons, this drone will be shot down very often. And its cost will exceed its effectiveness. It is too big and expensive for our war," Karpyuk wrote on Facebook (banned in Russia, owned by Meta Corporation, recognized as extremist in Russia). According to the expert, the Ukrainian army needs smaller drones with less noisy electric engines, while flight duration of more than 3-4 hours looks excessive.

Earlier, the Bild am Sonntag newspaper reported that the German defense concern Rheinmetall will supply the Ukrainian army with LUNA NG reconnaissance drones by the end of 2023. This is an upgraded version of the Luna X-2000 drone, which has been in service with the Bundeswehr since the early 2000s. It is a light fixed-wing reconnaissance drone, capable of continuous flight for 12 hours at a distance of over 100 kilometers. It is launched from a catapult.