US to supply MQ-9 Reapers UAVs to Ukraine

General Atomics has confirmed to supply Ukraine with the MQ-9 series of medium-altitude (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) capable of carrying Hellfire missiles inside a broader assistance package for Eastern Europe.   

The delivery has not yet taken place, and early reports of Reapers in Ukraine are premature. Neither the US government nor the business has given a timeline for the delivery of the drones to Kyiv. 

The US government has been considering a request for heavily armed drones from Ukraine since at least April. US plans to send the MQ-1C Gray Eagle drone, developed by General Atomics, to Ukraine.

The Gray Eagle isn’t strictly a member of the MQ-9 family. Nevertheless, supplying these drones is mainly hampered by concerns about the technology’s confidentiality and survival in contested airspace.

eurasiantimes