Newly disclosed ‘Ghost’ drones are part of America’s latest arms package for Ukraine, the Pentagon has confirmed.
The White House said earlier on Thursday that more than 121 Phoenix Ghost Tactical Unmanned Aerial Systems would be provided to Ukraine as part of the new arms package.
The Pentagon said the Ghost drones are well suited for the coming fight in Ukraine’s Donbas region, which officials have described as flat terrain reminiscent of the US state of Kansas. The drones have been developed for attacking targets and are destroyed after a single-use.
A British marine holds a Ghost drone during an exercise. Photograph: Andrew Matthews/PA
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said:
It was developed for a set of requirements that very closely match what the Ukrainians need right now in Donbas. It can also be used to give you a sight picture of what it’s seeing, of course. But its principal focus is attack.”
A small number of Ukrainians have been trained in the United States on how to operate Switchblade drones, single-use weapons that fly into their targets and detonate on impact. Kirby said training for the Ghost drones would be similar to the training on the Switchblade.
Ukrainian forces have used Western weapons including Stinger and Javelin missiles along with drones, like the Turkish Bayraktar TB2 and US-made Switchblade, effectively to target Russian positions.
“This unmanned aero-system is designed for tactical operations, in other words, largely but not exclusively to attack targets,” he added.
A small number of Ukrainians have been trained in the United States on how to operate Switchblade drones, single-use weapons that fly into their targets and detonate on impact.
Mr Kirby said training for the Ghost drones would be similar to the training on the Switchblade. But he declined to detail training plans or say how many Ukrainians would be trained on the new system.
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