The German defense giant Rheinmetall is ready to deliver 200 FV-014 Raider drones to Ukraine, but the contract has not been signed due to funding issues. Berlin is considering approving the purchase of FV-014 loitering munitions for €25 million, Defense Express reports.
Its operational range reaches up to 100 km, the data transmission range is 60 km, and the flight duration is 70 minutes.
For comparison, the HX-2 has a maximum range of 100 km, while the Virtus extends 30 km further, reaching 130 km. All three drones carry the same warhead weight.
Rheinmetall’s large-scale plans: €25 million to nearly €300 million for drone deliveries
If the drones successfully pass the qualification stage in Berlin by April 2027, the order could expand to nearly €300 million.
In total, Rheinmetall plans to deliver around 2,500 FV-014 drones, valued at almost €300 million. This suggests an approximate unit cost of €120,000 per drone. This is slightly cheaper than the Virtus at around €122,000, and almost twice the price of the HX-2, which costs about €62,500.
While HX-2 and Virtus remain Rheinmetall’s competitors, CEO Armin Papperger stated that the company is ready to supply Ukraine with the first batch of 200 FV-014 Raider drones. However, the contract has stalled for months due to funding challenges.
“Likely, a test batch of these strike drones was previously delivered to Ukraine, as Rheinmetall confirmed that the FV-014 has been tested in real combat,” the experts add.
This confirms both the drone’s combat effectiveness and the company’s readiness for large-scale deliveries.
