US senators call for Ukraine to be given Gray Eagle drones
MQ-1C Grey Eagle (Photo:US Army via Wikipedia)
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators has sent a letter to U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, urging the Pentagon to transfer MQ-1C Gray Eagle combat drones to Ukraine, The Wall Street Journal reported on Nov. 22.
The letter suggested that the long-term benefit from providing the Armed Forces of Ukraine with the drones is “significant and has the potential to change the strategic course of the war in Ukraine’s favor.” It was signed by 16 senators, including the current Chairman of the Armed Services Committee, James Inhofe (R-OK).
The authors of the letter are convinced that Grey Eagle drones would allow Ukrainian forces "to spot and strike Russian warships in the Black Sea, breaking through the forced blockade." The senators believe this would enable Kyiv to ease the pressure on Ukraine’s economy and global food prices.
A timely delivery of "effective lethal aid" would stabilize Ukrainian defensive lines and provide "long-term resistance to future Russian aggression," the letter says.
The document further points out that training to operate this type of drones takes only 27 days, and they would complement existing weapons systems used by the Ukrainian military.
Earlier media reports suggested the White House is reluctant to transfer long-range combat drones to Ukraine due to fears that advanced U.S. technological components could fall into Russian hands.
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