Workers prepare an MQ-1C Gray Eagle unmanned aerial vehicle for static display at Michael Army Airfield, Dugway Proving Ground in Utah, in this photo from the September 15, 2011 U.S. Army brochure by Reuters on February 6, 2013. REUTERS / US Army / Spc. Latoya Wiggins / Handout (UNITED STATES – Tags: MILITARY POLICY) THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS A RECEIPT BY ROUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CUSTOMERS. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING CAMPAIGNS OR ADVERTISING / Archive photo
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WASHINGTON, June 1 (Reuters) – The Biden administration plans to sell four MQ-1C Gray Eagle drones in Ukraine that can be armed with Hellfire missiles for use on the battlefield against Russia, said three people familiar with the situation.
The sale of drones manufactured by General Atomics could still be blocked by Congress, sources said, adding that there is also the risk of a last-minute political investment that could collapse the plan, which is being reviewed in the Pentagon for several weeks. .
Ukraine has been using various types of smaller-scale unmanned aerial systems against Russian forces that invaded the country in late February. They include the AeroVironment (AVAV.O) RQ-20 Puma AE and the Turkish Bayraktar-TB2.
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But the gray eagle represents a technological leap because it can fly for up to 30 hours or more depending on its mission and can collect large amounts of data for intelligence purposes. Gray Eagles, the army version of the best-known Predator drone, can also carry up to eight powerful Hellfire missiles.
The sale is significant because it puts for the first time an advanced reusable American system capable of multiple deep attacks on the battlefield against Russia.
President Joe Biden’s administration intends to notify Congress of a possible sale in Ukraine in the coming days with a public announcement scheduled after that, a U.S. official said.
A White House spokesman referred to consultations at the Pentagon and a Pentagon spokesman said there was “nothing to announce.”
The money from Ukraine’s recently approved $ 40 billion Security Assistance Initiative has been set aside to fund both the possible sale and the necessary training for drones, the U.S. official said. acquaintances. Read more
“Overall, the MQ-1C is a much larger aircraft with a maximum take-off weight of about three times that of the Bayraktar-TB2, with proportional advantages in payload capacity, range and endurance,” he said. drone expert Dan Gettinger with vertical flight. Society.
The MQ-1C also supports a greater variety of ammunition than the Bayraktar-TB2. The Ukrainian Bayraktars are equipped with 22 kg (48 lb) Turkish-made MAM-L missiles, about half the weight of a Hellfire.
Training on the UAV system by General Atomics usually takes months, Gettinger said, but in recent weeks a theoretical plan has been proposed to train experienced Ukrainian maintainers and operators in a handful of weeks, according to sources.
The arming of the drones with Hellfire missiles will be done through a future presidential withdrawal authority once the drone training has been completed, the U.S. official and one of the sources said.
Until Wednesday’s announcement that Ukraine would get four HIMARS rocket systems, the Pentagon has stressed that smaller systems such as Javelin anti-tank systems and Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, which the Allies send to Ukraine via truck almost daily, they are more important. useful. Read more
Raytheon Technologies (RTX.N) and Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) co-produce Javelins, while Raytheon makes Stingers.
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Report by Mike Stone in Washington; edited by Chris Sanders and Grant McCool
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