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Mysterious Drones US Delivering to Ukraine Were Developed by Secretive USAF Office
Mysterious Drones US Delivering to Ukraine Were Developed by Secretive USAF Office
Sputnik International
Washington has provided over $3.4 billion in weapons to Kiev since the beginning of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine, which started in late... 07.05.2022, Sputnik International
2022-05-07T10:28+0000
2022-05-07T10:28+0000
2023-04-13T12:44+0000
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The mysterious new Phoenix Ghost drone that the US is already supplying to Ukraine was a project overseen by a secretive Air Force office known as Big Safari, the Pentagon has revealed.William LaPlante, Undersecretary of Department of Defense (DoD) for Acquisition and Sustainment, told reporters on Friday that the Big Safari office, headquartered at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, oversaw the research-and-development effort for the Phoenix Ghost unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), also referred to as a “suicide drone”.The remarks came after Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said that a cohort of about 20 Ukrainian soldiers is about to wrap up a week-long training course on how to use the Phoenix Ghost drones.This was preceded by Kirby hinting last month that the new UAVs would soon be supplied to Kiev, amid reports that the Ukrainian military could deploy more than 100 such drones to the country’s eastern areas.With the UAV’s specific size, shape, payloads and capabilities yet to be disclosed, Kirby explained that “this unmanned aerial system is designed for tactical operations”.“In other words, largely, but not exclusively, to attack targets […]. It can also be used to give you a site picture of what it is seeing, of course. But its principal focus is attack,” he underscored.Kirby added that Phoenix Ghost’s “purpose is akin to that of the Switchblade”, which he said Pentagon officials “have been talking about in the past, which is basically a one-way drone and attack drone. And that’s essentially what this is designed to do”.The Switchblade is a lightweight, all-electric drone, described by the US magazine Popular Mechanics as a “flying camera robot with an explosive inside […] that will help find or attack nearby enemies, not faraway ones”.Moscow Warns Against 'Militarisation of Ukraine' The weapons that the US is supplying to Kiev amid Russia’s ongoing special military operation in Ukraine include M113 armoured vehicles and 155mm howitzers, as well as Javelin portable anti-armour and Stinger anti-aircraft missile systems.Additionally, the Pentagon has sent nearly 40 million rounds of small arms ammunition and more than 5,000 rifles, 1,000 pistols, 400 machine guns and 400 shotguns to Ukraine.Russia’s special operation to "demilitarise and de-Nazify" Ukraine, which was announced by President Vladimir Putin on 24 February, targets the country’s military infrastructure with high-precision weapons, according to the Russian Defence Ministry.
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Mysterious Drones US Delivering to Ukraine Were Developed by Secretive USAF Office
10:28 GMT 07.05.2022 (Updated: 12:44 GMT 13.04.2023) Washington has provided over $3.4 billion in weapons to Kiev since the beginning of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine, which started in late February. Moscow warns that the US’ and its allies’ arms supplies to Kiev are exacerbating the Ukraine conflict and could lead to unpredictable consequences.
The mysterious new
Phoenix Ghost drone that the US is already supplying to Ukraine was a project overseen by a secretive Air Force office known as Big Safari, the Pentagon has revealed.
William LaPlante, Undersecretary of Department of Defense (DoD) for Acquisition and Sustainment, told reporters on Friday that the Big Safari office, headquartered at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, oversaw the research-and-development effort for the Phoenix Ghost unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), also referred to as a “suicide drone”.
“If you know anything about that office, they do lots of really great, fast-type work. They were very active during Afghanistan and Iraq” wars, he said.
The remarks came after Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said that a cohort of about 20 Ukrainian soldiers is about to wrap up a week-long training course on how to use the Phoenix Ghost drones.
This was preceded by Kirby hinting last month that the new UAVs would soon be supplied to Kiev, amid reports that the Ukrainian military could deploy more than 100 such drones to the country’s eastern areas.
“The [US] Air Force was working on this and, in discussions with the Ukrainians again about their requirements, we believed that this particular system would very nicely suit their needs, particularly in eastern Ukraine”, the DoD press secretary said, in a nod to the Phoenix Ghost drone.
With the UAV’s specific size, shape, payloads and capabilities yet to be disclosed, Kirby explained that “this unmanned aerial system is designed for tactical operations”.
26 February 2022, 15:12 GMT
“In other words, largely, but not exclusively, to attack targets […]. It can also be used to give you a site picture of what it is seeing, of course. But its principal focus is attack,” he underscored.
Kirby added that Phoenix Ghost’s “purpose is akin to that of the Switchblade”, which he said Pentagon officials “have been talking about in the past, which is basically a one-way drone and attack drone. And that’s essentially what this is designed to do”.
“It provides similar capabilities to the Switchblade series of unmanned systems, similar capabilities but not exact. There are other differences in the scope of capability for the Phoenix Ghosts, but I’m just not going to be able to get into more detail about those capabilities right now,” he said.
The Switchblade is a lightweight, all-electric drone, described by the US magazine Popular Mechanics as a “flying camera robot with an explosive inside […] that will help find or attack nearby enemies, not faraway ones”.
Moscow Warns Against 'Militarisation of Ukraine'
The weapons that the US is supplying to Kiev amid
Russia’s ongoing special military operation in Ukraine include M113 armoured vehicles and 155mm howitzers, as well as Javelin portable anti-armour and Stinger anti-aircraft missile systems.
Additionally, the Pentagon has sent nearly 40 million rounds of small arms ammunition and more than 5,000 rifles, 1,000 pistols, 400 machine guns and 400 shotguns to Ukraine.
Last month, Moscow urged the US and its allies “to stop the irresponsible militarisation of Ukraine, which implies unpredictable consequences for regional and international security”.
Russia’s special operation to "demilitarise and de-Nazify" Ukraine, which was announced by President Vladimir Putin on 24 February, targets the country’s military infrastructure with high-precision weapons, according to the Russian Defence Ministry.
