The Ministry of Defense of Latvia signed an agreement with the local manufacturer, UAV Factory, to continue delivery and maintenance of Penguin B unmanned aerial vehicles in order to strengthen combat capabilities of the National Armed Forces.

The local UAV Factory will supply new unmanned aerial vehicles to the National Armed Forces of Latvia / Picture: UAV Factory

The local UAV Factory will supply new unmanned aerial vehicles to the National Armed Forces of Latvia / Picture: UAV Factory

‘I am pleased with the successful cooperation with the Latvian company UAV Factory, which allows us to continue supplying the armed forces with unmanned aircraft. By purposefully developing cooperation with the Latvian defense industry, we contribute to security of supply and make a significant contribution to the development of the Latvian economy as a whole’, said the Minister of Defense, Artis Pabriks.

The new batch of locally designed UAVs will be delivered to the Latvian Armed Forces in the second half of 2020. The agreement is a follow up to the original contract, that called for the delivery of an initial batch of UAV Factory’s unmanned systems, which eventually were used in a series of tests, intended to confirm the platform’s operational capabilities and develop new tactics of using UAVs on the battlefield by Latvian soldiers.

According to the Latvian MoD, the new batch of UAV Factory’s unmanned systems intended for delivery next year will include an improved variant of the platform, with enhancements implemented in result of the test phase. The contract calls also for the upgrade of the initial batch of Penguin B UAVs.

Aside from serving the needs of the Latvian Armed Forces, the new UAVs will also be used to assist the public in rescue, search or similar civilian operations.