The White House announced the shipment of the “Ghost” UAV, a disposable drone, to Ukraine for use in the Donbass conflict.
On April 21, the White House stated that more than 121 Phoenix Ghost unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) will be deployed to Ukraine as part of a new $800 million weaponry support package. According to the Pentagon, these “Ghost” UAVs are perfectly suited for the combat in Donbass, eastern Ukraine, where the terrain is akin to that of Kansas in the United States.
“This drone was created with a wide range of objectives in mind that are extremely relevant to the needs of Ukraine now in the Donbass,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said, without going into further detail.
The US discloses relatively little information on its “Ghost” UAV, such as its range or accuracy. A Pentagon spokesman stated that the drone’s primary purpose was to hit targets, but he did not define the parameters.
“Of course, this type of UAV can be used for imaging, but the primary aim remains attack,” Mr. Kirby explained.
A small number of Ukrainian soldiers have been trained in the United States to operate a comparable UAV model, the Switchblade, which is a single-use aircraft that explodes after hitting a target. Mr. Kirby stated that the training for the “Ghost” UAV will be identical to that for the Switchblade UAV. The Pentagon spokesman refused to go into detail about the proposal to train Ukrainian forces to utilise the “Ghost” drone. Kirby stated that the US will continue to develop UAVs that are fit for Ukraine’s needs, particularly in the country’s eastern battleground.
Nearly two months into the war, Ukraine has utilised a range of Western weapons to target Russian forces, including Stinger man-portable air defence missiles, Javelin anti-tank missiles, and Bayraktar TB2 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), Switchblade.
When convoys carrying weaponry from NATO countries enter Ukrainian territory, Russia has repeatedly warned that they are acceptable targets of attacks. They declared on April 16 that they shot down a Ukrainian cargo plane carrying Western armaments near Odessa province, but did not describe the type of jet or the weapons it was carrying.
