"This is real space": Reznikov explained how the "people's satellite" ICEYE will help the AFU and why it is important
The other day, volunteer Serhiy Prytula said that the 600 million UAH that was collected by Ukrainians for the "people's Bayraktars" (the manufacturer in the end did not take money for them) The Armed Forces of Ukraine will get their own space satellite with access to the ICEYE satellite imagery database. Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov told about the advantages it gives to the AFU.
What are the advantages?
"At the moment we receive information from satellites from partners. But this data is mainly from optical satellites, which have their own technological limitations for operation at night, when it's cloudy, the battlefield is obscured by smoke, it's snowing or there are other obstacles. Besides, this information comes with a certain delay and not from all directions that are important for our military at this or that moment. Now the situation will be totally different," noted Reznikov.
The purchased satellite, which uses SAR technology, can see day and night and through the clouds, and the most important is that it will work for the needs of the Ukrainian defenders 24/7. In addition, the military will have access to a whole constellation of satellites and will be able to use their photo database for a year. In this case, the decoding of images will be organized in such a way that the data is received as quickly as possible.
"That is, our army will start getting information that it couldn't get before. It will do it quickly, when it is needed, and from where it is needed. Data from partners will remain an important component of our awareness. This combination will improve the quality of decision making.
Another important point. The General Staff and Military Intelligence have identified technical requirements for satellite technology that we would like to attract for our Army. In analyzing specific offerings in the marketplace, it became clear that ICEYE's capabilities were truly great! However, they had an equally unaffordable cost. Therefore, at first we did not even hope to be able to attract them. Our military and intelligence community could not hide their joy. After all, the combination of high-quality intelligence from satellites and high-precision weapons capabilities really creates new capabilities. Say, soon every HIMARS, M270 or MARS II, as well as every cannon or SAU with high-precision projectiles will be able to destroy the enemy more effectively," the minister stressed.
He also thanked all those involved, which are ordinary Ukrainians, businesses, volunteers, the defense department, military intelligence and specialists of the General Staff.
"Determining defense priorities during the repulse of Russian aggression, the Ministry of Defense proceeds from the fact that we will not defeat the enemy at the expense of quantity. Only at the expense of quality. Therefore, the main task is to create a qualitative superiority of the Ukrainian army over the enemy. Specialists of the Defense Ministry together with the General Staff of the AFU and GUR of the Defense Ministry have analyzed the situation in detail and determined the best option, which will allow our army to go ahead several steps," Reznikov says.
Source: Reznikov Oleksiy
For those who want to know more:
- 105-mm howitzers, ammunition for HIMARS, Javelin missiles, TOW missile launchers, drones and MRAP vehicles - details of the $775,000,000 military aid package for Ukraine have been released
- Germany transferred to Ukraine 3 more Gepard self-propelled air defense systems and 11 M113 tracked armored personnel carriers
- The Pentagon told when the U.S. will hand over NASAMS SAMs to Ukraine
