Phoenix Ghost: Pentagon fast track mystery drone to Ukraine. What is?

WASHINGTON – Between the $800 million in military aid President Joe Biden announced for Ukraine this week 120 Phoenix Ghost drones, a new weapon developed by the Air Force and fast-tracked to meet a specific need of Ukrainian forces.

But what exactly do the drones do and how exactly will they help Ukraine in its fight against russian aggression are unclear. Pentagon press secretary John Kirby declined to elaborate on the Phoenix Phantom’s capabilities, noting that it is used “largely, but not exclusively, to engage targets” and is well suited to the land in Donbas, the industrial region in the east that the Kremlin has declared. be your new main target.

“What we provide is done in full consultation with the Ukrainians and they believe that these systems will be useful to them in the fight in the Donbas. Where and when they use them and how they use them, of course, is going to be up to them,” Kirby said. .

What is the Phoenix Ghost drone?

The Phoenix Ghost was developed by the Air Force and produced by Aevex Aerospace, an American company that bills itself as a leader in “full-spectrum airborne intelligence solutions.”

Kirby said the drones were in the works before Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, but now development is proceeding “in ways that are in tune” with Ukraine’s need for unmanned aerial systems.

The Phoenix Ghost is similar to the Switchblade weaponized kamikaze drones the Pentagon is already providing to Ukraine, Kirby said. The Switchblade is “basically a unidirectional drone and an attack drone,” which is essentially what the Phoenix Ghost is designed to do.

“This unmanned aerial system is designed for tactical operations,” Kirby said. “In other words, largely, but not exclusively, to engage targets. Like almost all unmanned aerial systems, of course, it has optics. So it can also be used to give you a visual image of what you’re seeing.” Of course. But his main focus is attack.”

What else is the United States sending to Ukraine?

The latest round of US military assistance will also include 72 155mm howitzers, 144,000 artillery rounds, 72 vehicles used to tow the howitzers to battlefields, as well as field equipment and spare parts.

The 72 howitzers are added to the 18 announced last week.

The howitzers the United States will send to Ukraine will be the latest American model, known as the M777, used by the Army and Marine Corps. Smaller and more maneuverable than the previous model, the M777 can be deployed to the battlefield with heavy-lift helicopters and move relatively quickly between positions with seven-ton trucks also provided by the Pentagon.

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“What makes it important is the kind of fighting that we expect in the Donbas. Because of the terrain, because it’s open, because it’s flat, because it’s not that urban, we can expect the Russians to rely on long-range fires – artillery on particular,” Kirby said. “So we know this is going to be part of the Russians’ playbook.”

The relatively flat terrain is suitable for what the military calls maneuver warfare: the movement of tanks and other ground forces backed by long-range weapons like the 155mm howitzer.

Will foreign aid be enough?

The United States has provided $3.4 billion in military aid to Ukraine in the two months since Russia’s invasion. This is an extraordinary amount for a country with which the United States has no defense treaty obligation.

Defense officials do not believe the latest round of heavy artillery headed for Ukraine will be enough to stop the advancing Russian forces.

Biden he said he has already asked the Pentagon to get to work on possible additional military assistance.

He said this phase of Russia’s invasion will be “more limited in terms of geography but not in terms of brutality.” He also acknowledged that he needs Congress to approve the funds needed to continue providing key weapons to Ukraine beyond the latest $800 million package, which he said would ensure a steady flow of weapons for just the next few weeks.

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US officials say the Russians are trying to adjust their approach in Ukraine after early setbacks, suggesting the fight could be a long one.

After failing to take the capital kyiv in the first weeks of its multi-pronged invasion, Russia has since narrowed its targets by focusing on Donbas, where Moscow-backed separatists have been fighting since 2014, and on a stretch of coastal territory to along the Sea of ​​Azov from Mariupol to the Crimean peninsula.

Moscow has warned that continued US military aid to Ukraine would have “unpredictable” consequences, suggesting that Russia sees the international wave of arms as a growing obstacle to its invasion, as well as a Western provocation.

Associated Press contributed to this report.