US government delivers newly developed drone to Ukraine

Created: 04/22/2022Updated: 04/22/2022, 00:07

Can a new drone help Ukrainians?

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby sees great potential.

© Alex Brandon/AP/dpa

The United States is said to supply a drone that exactly meets the needs of Ukrainians in the fight against Russian troops.

But the development of the "Phoenix Ghost" is still ongoing.

According to the Pentagon, the United States has developed a new type of drone that meets the requirements of the Ukrainian military.

"In discussions with Ukrainians about their needs, we felt this particular system would be very well suited to their needs, particularly in eastern Ukraine," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Thursday afternoon (local time).

The development of the drone with the name "Phoenix Ghost" had already started before the outbreak of the Ukraine war.

They now want to continue to push this forward so that it better suits the Ukrainian requirements.

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More than 120 of the new drones are to be shipped to Ukraine under a new $800 million US government military aid pact.

In the morning, Kirby said the drone was "rapidly developed specifically in response to Ukrainian needs."

He had stressed that she was an example of how to adapt to the needs of Ukraine in real time.

"I probably didn't express myself as well as I should have," Kirby said when asked.

Minimal training is required to operate the drone, the Pentagon spokesman said.

The new drone is similar to the so-called switchblade drones.

The Switchblades are mini drones and initially start without a target.

They can then circle the ground for a long time, waiting for a target to attack.

They then self-destruct. The US government had also provided Ukraine with switchblades.

The Phoenix Ghost drones have similar capabilities but aren't exactly the same, Kirby said.

dpa