Rheinmetall announces provision of SAR ICEYE satellite images to Ukraine

The German arms company Rheinmetall and the satellite company ICEYE SAR, which joined forces in September to support Ukraine, are reporting the first successes of their collaboration.

Source: European Pravda, citing Rheinmetall

The company says that to meet Ukraine's need for satellite SAR imaging capabilities, Rheinmetall and Ukraine signed a contract with the support of the German government.

Quote: "The agreement further increases the SAR data and other support Ukraine has been receiving from ICEYE during the war," the press release notes.

Since early October, Ukraine has been receiving new satellite images from ICEYE's SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) satellites as part of the collaboration between Rheinmetall and ICEYE.

These images complement other intelligence data gathered from various sensors and will serve as a foundation for decision-making and operational planning by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The agreement also enables the use of ICEYE's entire satellite fleet.

SAR satellites have an advantage over conventional satellites because they can generate high-resolution images regardless of weather conditions or time of day. 

They also offer exceptional detail, enabling the identification of even the smallest objects on the ground. This provides a critical advantage for armed forces in surveillance, target acquisition, reconnaissance, and positioning on the battlefield.

The company further highlighted that the technological group from Düsseldorf announced its participation in the world’s largest fleet of radar reconnaissance satellites in June 2024, and in September, Rheinmetall and ICEYE ramped up their cooperation. 

In this context, Rheinmetall secured exclusive rights to sell SAR satellites to military and government clients in the German and Hungarian markets.

Background:

• In August 2022, ICEYE announced the signing of a contract with the Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundation to provide ICEYE satellite SAR imaging capabilities to the Ukrainian government. As part of the agreement, one of ICEYE's satellites was allocated for use by the Ukrainian government over the region.
• In October 2022, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Russia could consider Western commercial satellites as legitimate targets if they were used to assist Ukraine in the war.

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