The Biden administration plans to sell Ukraine four MQ-1C Gray Eagle drones, which can be armed with Hellfire anti-tank missiles.
According to Reuters, the intended sale has reportedly been confirmed by three knowledgeable sources. The Oval Office intends to notify Congress of the possible sale to Ukraine in the next few days and a public announcement is expected after that, a U.S. official said.
Congress could block the sale, the sources said, adding that there is also a risk of a last-minute policy change that could scuttle the plan, which has been under review at the Pentagon for several weeks.
Much of the success that Ukrainian defenses have been reaping against the invading Russian forces comes from the fact that they are making intensive and successful use of different types of drones.
And one system that has been gaining increasing relevance during this war is the Turkish Bayraktar TB2, which is proving to be an efficient, versatile and lethal system, in reconnaissance and intelligence missions, for artillery fire direction, in direct attacks against ground targets, and even in anti-ship missions.
See also: Lithuanian solidarity: 5 million euros raised to buy a Bayraktar drone for Ukraine
But the Gray Eagle represents a technological leap because it can fly for up to 25 hours, depending on its mission, and can collect huge amounts of data for intelligence purposes. In addition, they can also carry the powerful Hellfire missiles to destroy armored targets, located more than 8 kms away (depending on their trajectory and firing envelope).
The sale is significant because it puts for the first time on the battlefield against Russia an advanced U.S. reusable system capable of multiple deep strikes.
Training on the Gray Eagle UAV system, manufactured by General Atomics, usually takes months, but in recent weeks a plan has been proposed to prepare experienced Ukrainian technicians and operators, so that they can make use of the drone with only a handful of weeks of preparation.
The sale of Hellfire missiles will be carried out through a future PDA (Presidential Drawdown Authority) whereby the President has the power to authorize the immediate transfer of items and services from the U.S. stockpile, without the need for Congressional authorization, once the training of Ukrainian operators is completed.
