Washington: A bipartisan group of American lawmakers are pressing the Pentagon to expedite a month long review aimed at determining whether the United States should send its MQ-1C Gray Eagle drones to Ukraine.
Seventeen House Democrats and Republicans on September six sent a letter to Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, pressing him to expedite an ongoing risk assessment to determine whether transferring the technology poses a risk should it fall into Russian hands.
“There continue to be delays in delivering Gray Eagle systems to Ukraine despite urgent requests from Ukraine’s Minister of Defence Oleksii Reznikov and ambassador to the US Oksana Markarova,” the lawmakers wrote. “While important, thorough risk assessments and mitigation should not come at the expense of Ukrainian lives.”
Pentagon officials have been mulling a request for Gray Eagle drones from Ukraine since at least April, but it’s hung up over concerns about securing the technology as well as its survivability in the contested airspace above Ukraine. Officials said they are also considering the potential impact on the US military’s readiness if the drone is provided from its own stockpiles.
On September 6, Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder told reporters that the US has sent Ukraine other intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems including Puma and ScanEagle drones, as well as Switchblade loitering munitions.
“We continue to maintain a robust dialogue with Ukraine and the international community about what we and the international community can do to support Ukraine,” Ryder said.
The letter presses the Pentagon on the Gray Eagle and the MQ-9A Reaper, which are both made by General Atomics of San Diego, California. The US has sold Reapers to the UK, France and others, but has not exported the Gray Eagle, which can be armed with up to four Hellfire missiles.
