The Pentagon will review the delivery of drones to Ukraine
2022.11.22 14:32
The Pentagon will review the delivery of drones to Ukraine
Budrigannews.com – According to a copy of the letter, a group of 16 U.S. senators from both political parties pressed the Biden administration to carefully reconsider Ukraine’s request for lethal Gray Eagle drones to fight Russia and asked the Pentagon to explain why it has not moved forward.
The armable MQ-1C Gray Eagle drone, which has an operational ceiling of 29,000 feet and would be a significant technological leap forward for Ukraine, has been rejected by the Biden administration thus far.
The Pentagon has not publicly stated its position, but there were concerns that the drones could be shot down, were not essential to Ukraine’s war effort, and could escalate the conflict.
As Russia increasingly uses kamikaze drones and attacks civilian infrastructure, Ukraine has made numerous requests to the United States to provide it with powerful drones, most recently anti-drone missiles, hoping Washington will reverse its previous opposition.
The senators, which include Republican Joni Ernst and Democrat Joe Manchin, both of whom are members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, expressed concern regarding the United States’ opposition to the request, stating that the provision of the armable drone “demands careful reconsideration.”
“As a matter of policy, we do not comment on our communication with elected officials,” stated a Pentagon spokesperson.
The senators gave Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin until November 30 to explain why the Pentagon thought the drone was not appropriate for the fight in Ukraine, whether the United States’ concerns about technology transfer were manageable, and whether the Pentagon thought introducing the General Atomics drone would further irritate Russia.
