MIC company General Atomics is 'in talks' with representatives from the Ukrainian government about acquiring the MQ-9 Reaper attackdrones. Judging on the WaPo article below the Ukrainians and the company are both excited to acquire this weapon system, and General Atomics is ready to deliver immediately.
The US government still has to sign the deal.
Ukrainian officials also have begun to meet with U.S. defense firms to see how else they might be able to improve their defenses. In one recent example, the Ukrainian ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova, met last week with representatives from General Atomics, the maker of Reaper and Predator drones, said C. Mark Brinkley, a company spokesman.
Brinkley said Tuesday the company is “currently exploring options” for supporting Ukraine, something that would require U.S. government approval.
“We have aircraft available now for immediate transfer,” Brinkley said. “With support from the U.S. government, those aircraft could be in the hands of Ukrainian military pilots in a matter of days.”
Such a transfer, Brinkley said, would expand Ukraine’s ability to conduct aerial surveillance of the battlefield and provide “highly lethal strike capabilities not afforded” by smaller unmanned aircraft. Ukrainian pilots already familiar with drone operations would not be “starting from scratch” in learning how to fly them, he said.
In a statement, Markarova acknowledged Tuesday night that she met with General Atomics representatives.
“Together with our team, we discussed with General Atomics the prospects of increasing the capacity of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the current situation in Ukraine,” she said.
When asked what hardware she requested of the company, Markarova’s spokeswoman declined to specify, saying Ukraine would prefer to “surprise Russia on the battlefield.”
General Atomics supplies the U.S. Air Force with the Reaper and the U.S. Army with the Gray Eagle, an upgraded version of the Predator that was used widely by the U.S. military in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The US government still has to sign the deal.
Ukrainian officials also have begun to meet with U.S. defense firms to see how else they might be able to improve their defenses. In one recent example, the Ukrainian ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova, met last week with representatives from General Atomics, the maker of Reaper and Predator drones, said C. Mark Brinkley, a company spokesman.
Brinkley said Tuesday the company is “currently exploring options” for supporting Ukraine, something that would require U.S. government approval.
“We have aircraft available now for immediate transfer,” Brinkley said. “With support from the U.S. government, those aircraft could be in the hands of Ukrainian military pilots in a matter of days.”
Such a transfer, Brinkley said, would expand Ukraine’s ability to conduct aerial surveillance of the battlefield and provide “highly lethal strike capabilities not afforded” by smaller unmanned aircraft. Ukrainian pilots already familiar with drone operations would not be “starting from scratch” in learning how to fly them, he said.
In a statement, Markarova acknowledged Tuesday night that she met with General Atomics representatives.
“Together with our team, we discussed with General Atomics the prospects of increasing the capacity of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the current situation in Ukraine,” she said.
When asked what hardware she requested of the company, Markarova’s spokeswoman declined to specify, saying Ukraine would prefer to “surprise Russia on the battlefield.”
General Atomics supplies the U.S. Air Force with the Reaper and the U.S. Army with the Gray Eagle, an upgraded version of the Predator that was used widely by the U.S. military in Iraq and Afghanistan.
