Latvian Armed Forces is Enhancing its UAV Fleet

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The Latvian National Armed Forces will acquire unmanned aerial vehicles, in a move that will support local manufacture. The Latvian Ministry of Defense signed an agreement with UAV Factory, a developer and manufacturer of fixed-wing composite small unmanned aircraft and subsystems for the under 55lbs class unmanned aircrafts.

The delivery of unmanned aerial vehicles will enhance aerial surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities of the National Armed Forces, as well as reinforce indirect fire support control capabilities. The unmanned aerial vehicles delivered to the Latvian army will also be used in search, rescue and other similar civilian operations.

The agreement envisages gradual expansion of the cooperation after the initial unmanned aerial vehicle delivery for testing.  

“Cooperation with local manufacturers of unmanned aerial vehicles is crucial for national defense capability development. The key criteria in the selection of unmanned aerial vehicle suppliers was supply security. In general, Latvian unmanned aerial vehicle companies can ensure the supply security in times of crisis, which is critical given the regional security challenges,” stresses the Ministry of Defense.

Among the company UAV models are:

The Penguin C – a long-endurance, long range unmanned aircraft system designed for professional use. Its flight endurance reaches over 20 hours and operation radius – over 100 kilometers or 60 miles, according to the company’s website.

Penguin B is a high performance semi-integrated small UAV platform available for final assembly and customization by UAV system integrators.

The electric version of the Penguin B is designed for short duration missions. Electric propulsion offers clean operation with excellent reliability and simple maintenance.