Ukraine May get US MQ-9 Reaper Drones as Pentagon Meets with Military Industrial Complex About Ukraine
In what looks to be a major escalation, the Pentagon is set to meet with the largest US Defense contractors in regards to Ukraine and what weapon systems can be deployed quickly. Here are the contractors the Pentagon is set to meet with.
Raytheon Technologies (RTX.N)
Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT.N). The two companies jointly produce Javelins, while Raytheon manufactures Stingers.
Boeing Co (BA.N),
Northrop Grumman (NOC.N),
General Dynamics (GD.N) and
L3 Harris Technologies (LHX.N).
Two more that have not been announced.
Basically it appears that Biden may have just opened the Pandoras box. The Biden Administration is making a decision that will be considered a direct NATO involvement and US aggression against Russia.
If the U.S. arms the Ukrainians with the MQ9 Reaper drones then that could change the war dramatically as Ukraine would have twice the speed and 3 times the range of their current Turkish Bayraktar TB2 drones.
This means that American trainers will also arrive in Ukraine unless the training of Ukrainians takes place in a foreign country, for example in Lithuania. The latter has already been offered.
From the sounds of it, the company who would supply the drones, General Atomics is ready to deliver as soon as they get the green light. From Forbes.com.
Ukrainian officials met in Washington last week with General Atomics, the California-based manufacturer of military drones, including the MQ-9 Reaper, the U.S. Air Force’s primary reconnaissance and strike UAV. Though the U.S. government would have to approve any sale, it is unlikely that such talks between Ukraine and a U.S. defense contractor would have happened without a green light from the Biden administration.
“We have aircraft available now for immediate transfer,” General Atomics spokesman C. Mark Brinkley told me. “With support from the U.S. government, those aircraft could be in the hands of Ukrainian military pilots in a matter of days.”
General Atomics already has experience in quickly delivering MQ-9s to other nations. “In the past, we worked with the U.S. government to send MQ-9 Reapers to a partner nation in less than 30 days,” said Brinkley. “The logistics footprint could be minimal, also much less than what people associate with American UAS logistics footprints.”
Meanwhile, Reuters news agency reported that the administration of President Joe Biden could announce an additional $750m in military assistance to Ukraine as soon as Wednesday.
The White House said last week it has provided, to date, more than $1.7bn in security assistance to Ukraine since the invasion, including some 5,000 Javelins and more than 1,400 Stingers.
The newest assistance equipment would be funded using the Presidential Drawdown Authority, or PDA, in which the president can authorize the transfer of articles and services from US stocks without Congressional approval in response to an emergency, the news agency reported, citing two US officials familiar with the matter.
MORE LETHAL AID GETS APPROVED!
It is reported that the Ukrainians have requested M142 Himars and ballistic systems capable of hitting Russian territory and large concentrations of Russian forces. These are the American MGM-140 ATACMS.
A senior US official has confirmed that the shipment of heavy artillery, drones, Humvees, coastal defense systems and CBRN uniforms for protection against chemical, nuclear or biological attacks has already been approved.
In fact, US Secretary of State A. Blinken stressed that “there is reliable information” about an impending Russian chemical attack. (Right, sure)
According to some officials, Mi-17 helicopters equipped with missiles have been requested to hit Russian ground targets.
It is worth noting that the Norwegian Parliament proposed to equip Ukraine with NASAMS anti-aircraft systems and NSM anti-ship missiles!
However, yesterday, as already reported by WarNews247, the US Army transported to Poland 6 Command systems M577A2, 9 self-propelled guns M109A6 Paladin 155mm and 5 M992A2 FDCV (Shot Direction Control Vehicle).
The cargo was found at the Gnezdo train station in Poland. It is possible to head to Ukraine.
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They’d be useless in the Ukraine send them if they want but they can’t penetrate Russian air defenses.