https://sputnikglobe.com/20220923/us-lawmakers-reportedly-urge-pentagon-to-speed-up-delivery-of-heavy-strike-drones-to-ukraine-1101138446.html
US Lawmakers Reportedly Urge Pentagon to Speed Up Delivery of Heavy Strike Drones to Ukraine
US Lawmakers Reportedly Urge Pentagon to Speed Up Delivery of Heavy Strike Drones to Ukraine
Sputnik International
Rumors on the possible handover of the sophisticated unmanned aerial vehicles began to swirl in the summer. However, US media later reported that the Biden... 23.09.2022, Sputnik International
2022-09-23T13:16+0000
2022-09-23T13:16+0000
2023-04-13T12:44+0000
russia's special operation in ukraine
drones
congress
pentagon
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A 17-member-strong bipartisan group of lawmakers have penned Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin an appeal urging him to pick up the pace on getting MQ-1C Gray Eagle drones to Ukraine, Reuters and the Wall Street Journal have reported, citing the letter.In addition to MQ-1Cs, the lawmakers urged the Pentagon to consider sending Kiev MQ-9A Reapers.The United States military has previously used Gray Eagles in the wars of aggression and occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq, and in secrecy-laden missions in Central Africa, including Niger. Developed and manufactured by General Atomics, the drones have four hard points and can fire Hellfire air-to-ground or Stinger air-to-air missiles, or four Viper Strike glide bombs. They can also be used for reconnaissance. The UAVs have a range of 400 km. The drones have suffered a range of technical problems throughout their service history, including poor reliability of onboard computer components, as well as software and sensor failures. At least three Gray Eagles were lost in Iraq and Niger between 2015 and 2021.The Gray Eagle is a heavily upgraded variant of the General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper, a mass produced drone used by the US Air Force, Air National Guard, and Customs and Border Protection, and sold to Britain, France, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain. The US military has deployed Reapers in Afghanistan and Iraq, Somalia, Mali, Yemen, Libya, and Syria. Like their Gray Eagle cousin, Reapers have been prone to accidents, with 20 lost in 2015 alone due to starter-generator failures, and two slamming into one another in a mid-air collision over Syria in 2020. The weapons have also been linked to the killings of hundreds of civilians in countries where they have been deployed, with the Bureau of Investigative Journalism estimating that between 2010 and 2020, up to 2,200 innocents died in US strikes in Afghanistan, Somalia and Yemen.The strategic significance of the possible deployment of Gray Eagles and Reapers in Ukraine is hard to estimate. In the course of the special military operation, Russia’s Defense Ministry has reported shooting down more than 2,050 UAVs operated by Ukraine, ranging from tiny reconnaissance micro-drones to Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 heavy strike drones.The United States and its allies have delivered over $33 billion in military aid to Ukraine since January -equivalent to about half of Russia's military budget in 2021. The vast amount of weapons pouring into Ukraine from the West has prompted Moscow to classify the crisis as a proxy conflict with NATO.Moscow has repeatedly slammed Washington and its allies over their continued arms deliveries to Ukraine, pointing to the danger they pose in escalating the crisis, setting the stage for future conflicts, and facilitating weapons smuggling.
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drones, congress, pentagon
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US Lawmakers Reportedly Urge Pentagon to Speed Up Delivery of Heavy Strike Drones to Ukraine
13:16 GMT 23.09.2022 (Updated: 12:44 GMT 13.04.2023) Rumors on the possible handover of the sophisticated unmanned aerial vehicles began to swirl in the summer. However, US media later reported that the Biden administration was anxious that Russia could capture the drones and analyze their advanced onboard surveillance equipment.
A 17-member-strong bipartisan group of lawmakers have penned Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin an appeal urging him to pick up the pace on getting MQ-1C Gray Eagle drones to Ukraine,
Reuters and the
Wall Street Journal have reported, citing the letter.
Ukraine “could better confront Russian threats” with the drones, and “employing more capable Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) on the battlefield will allow the AFU (Armed Forces of Ukraine) to better hold the territory they fought so hard to reclaim,” the letter said.
In addition to MQ-1Cs, the lawmakers urged the Pentagon to consider sending Kiev MQ-9A Reapers.
The United States military has previously used Gray Eagles in the wars of aggression and occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq, and in secrecy-laden missions in Central Africa, including Niger. Developed and manufactured by General Atomics, the drones have four hard points and can fire Hellfire air-to-ground or Stinger air-to-air missiles, or four Viper Strike glide bombs. They can also be used for reconnaissance. The UAVs have a range of 400 km. The drones have suffered a range of technical problems throughout their service history, including poor reliability of onboard computer components, as well as software and sensor failures. At least three Gray Eagles were lost in Iraq and Niger between 2015 and 2021.
14 September 2022, 22:24 GMT
The Gray Eagle is a heavily upgraded variant of the General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper, a mass produced drone used by the US Air Force, Air National Guard, and Customs and Border Protection, and sold to Britain, France, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain. The US military has deployed Reapers in Afghanistan and Iraq, Somalia, Mali, Yemen, Libya, and Syria. Like their Gray Eagle cousin, Reapers have been prone to accidents, with 20 lost in 2015 alone due to starter-generator failures, and two slamming into one another in a mid-air collision over Syria in 2020. The weapons have also been linked to the killings of hundreds of civilians in countries where they have been deployed, with the Bureau of Investigative Journalism
estimating that between 2010 and 2020, up to 2,200 innocents died in US strikes in Afghanistan, Somalia and Yemen.
The strategic significance of the possible deployment of Gray Eagles and Reapers in Ukraine is hard to estimate. In the course of the special military operation, Russia’s Defense Ministry has reported shooting down
more than 2,050 UAVs operated by Ukraine, ranging from
tiny reconnaissance micro-drones to
Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 heavy strike drones.
The United States and its allies have delivered over
$33 billion in military aid to Ukraine since January -equivalent to about half of Russia's military budget in 2021. The vast amount of weapons pouring into Ukraine from the West has prompted Moscow to
classify the crisis as a proxy conflict with NATO.
Moscow has repeatedly slammed Washington and its allies over their continued arms deliveries to Ukraine, pointing to the danger they pose in
escalating the crisis, setting the stage
for future conflicts, and facilitating
weapons smuggling.
