The Ukrainian army will soon receive the latest U.S. Ghost drones, which are part of the latest U.S. weapons package for Ukraine, Voice of America reports..
Drones are disposable and self-destruct after a single use, a US Department of Defense spokesman said Thursday..
US and allies boost arms supplies to Kiev ahead of Russia's announced offensive in eastern Ukraine.
The Ukrainian military is already successfully using Western weapons to attack Russian positions, including American Stinger and Javelin missiles, as well as drones, including Turkish Bayraktars and American Switchblade loitering drones..
Earlier Thursday, the White House announced that the United States would transfer 121 Phoenix Ghost unmanned aerial vehicles to Ukraine as part of a new arms package..
The Pentagon said the Ghost drones are well suited for the upcoming military operations in the Ukrainian Donbass, a region whose flat terrain, according to US officials, resembles the US state of Kansas..
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Little is known about the new drones, including their range and exact specifications.. Kirby declined to provide more details on the Ghosts.. However, he said that they were intended primarily to engage combat targets, although they could also be used to monitor enemy positions..
A small number of Ukrainian military personnel have been trained in the United States to fly the Switchblade loitering drones, disposable drones that strike a target and detonate on impact..
Kirby said Ghost drone training will be similar to Switchblade training. However, he also refused to detail the training plans and did not say how many Ukrainians will receive the appropriate training..
Earlier Thursday, Kirby said the Americans were rapidly developing drones for the needs of the Ukrainian military.. During a press briefing, he clarified that such developments began even before the Russian invasion, which took place on February 24..
“But we will continue to promote these developments in accordance with Ukrainian requirements for unmanned aerial systems of a tactical nature in eastern Ukraine,” said a Pentagon spokesman..
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US President Joe Biden called the current events a " He promised to send dozens of howitzers, 144 thousand pieces of ammunition and tactical drones to Ukraine.
“Now we are at a critical time when they [the Russians] are going to set the stage for the next phase of this war,” Biden said.. According to him, Washington and its allies “acted as quickly as possible” to provide Ukraine with the necessary equipment and weapons..
Biden also announced plans to ban Russian-affiliated merchant ships from U.S. ports and coastal waters, adding to a new round of Western sanctions on Moscow..
As reported, last week the Ukrainian delegation met in Washington with representatives of General Atomics, which manufactures MQ-9 Reaper heavy attack drones.. It is equipped with a turboprop engine, allowing it to reach speeds of over 400 km/h.. The drone can carry up to 4 air-to-ground missiles, 4 Hellfire missiles and two Mark 82 laser-guided bombs.
Experts believe that the MQ-9 is able to radically change the course of the war between Ukraine and the Russian occupiers.