Biden Authorizes 700M To Ukraine, Including MQ-1C Gray Eagle Drones
By Donald Standeford, Correspondent - Follow -
Date Published: June 2, 2022 05:30PM UTC
Last Modified: June 2, 2022 05:30PM UTC
WASHINGTON - The Biden administration has authorized another $700 million to go to Ukraine, along with MQ-1C Gray Eagle Drones. The sale could still be blocked by Congress, however, according to a report by Reuters.
The MQ-1C Gray Eagle Drones have a longer range than the drones that Ukraine has been using thus far, which includes the AeroVironment (AVAV.O), Turkish made Bayraktar-TB2 and RQ-20 Puma AE.
The MQ-1C Gray Eagle drones are capable of flying for over 40 hours and accumulate large amounts of data and intelligence during its long flight. It is also capable of carrying up to 8 Hellfire missiles.
According to Reuters, drone expert Dan Gettinger with the Vertical Flight Society stated "Generally the MQ-1C is a much larger aircraft with a max take-off weight around three times that of the Bayraktar-TB2, with commensurate advantages in payload capacity, range, and endurance".
In total, the Biden administration has committed about 4.6 billion dollars to Ukraine since the beginning of Russia's invasion on the country. Biden said that the United States would "continue to provide Ukraine with weapons and equipment to defend itself" against aggression from Russia.
When announcing the new package, Biden stated "Thanks to the additional funding for Ukraine, passed with overwhelmingly bipartisan support in the U.S. Congress, the United States will be able to keep providing Ukraine with more of the weapons that they are using so effectively to repel Russian attacks".
"This new package will arm them with new capabilities and advanced weaponry, including HIMARS with battlefield munitions, to defend their territory from Russian advances. We will continue to lead the world in providing historic assistance to support Ukraine’s fight for freedom" he continued.
Along with the HIMARS, the package includes five counter-artillery radars, Two air-surveillance radars, 1,000 Javelin anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM) with 50 launch units, 6,000 anti-armor weapons, 15,000 155mm artillery rounds, four Mi-17 helicopters, 15 tactical vehicles and spare parts and equipment.
