US military shipment to Ukraine for first time includes spy drones
The United States has announced a fresh package of military assistance to Ukraine, including nano spy drones for the first time in military supplies.
According to a statement released by the US Department of Defense (DoD) on Tuesday, the new $400 million military package includes additional munitions for Patriot and National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS), Stinger anti-aircraft and Javelin anti-tank systems, HIMARS missiles, as well as artillery and mortar rounds.
It also contains 32 Stryker armored personnel carriers in addition to Black Hornet drones and other military equipment.
According to media reports, the latest US military shipment for Ukraine is funded using Presidential Drawdown Authority, or PDA, which authorizes the president to quickly transfer articles and services from US military stocks without congressional approval during an emergency. The material will come from US excess inventory.
The military consignment will be the 43rd huge shipment of weapons, munitions, and equipment approved by the US government for Kiev.
Since Russia launched its campaign in Donbas in 2022, the US provided Ukraine with tens of billions of dollars of weapons.
However, this is the first shipment, in which the United States is including six-inch-long Black Hornet spy drones.
Till now, the US government had refused to send the micro-drones despite Ukrainian authorities' months-long begging for this type of vehicle from their Western backers.
The Black Hornet nano spy drones, each costing several million dollars, would give Ukraine the ability to not only spy on Russian positions but conduct more accurate weapons damage assessments.
One researcher at the German Aerospace Center described the Norwegian-developed drones as “the very best on the market”, claiming their deployment to Ukraine was “game-changing”.
“The drone is used for reconnaissance and target identification. It is easy to operate, robust, difficult to detect, and particularly well suited for combat in urban areas,” said Bjorn Arild Gram, Norway’s defense minister. The Norwegian drones are built by Teledyne FLIR Defense, part of Teledyne Technologies.
The Black Hornet is being provided to Ukraine via donations by the British and Norwegian governments, the company said. FLIR Unmanned Aerial Systems was awarded a $93 million contract in April to provide the small spy drones to the US Army.
Norway's Prox Dynamics AS, the developer of the military nano UAV, said the drones have been in use by the armed forces of Norway, the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Algeria, Ireland, Australia, the Netherlands, Poland, New Zealand, India, Turkey, South Africa, Ukraine, and Morocco, Telegraph reported.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken claimed Russia could end the war at any moment it wanted by simply evacuating Donbas.
"Russia could end this war at any time by withdrawing its forces from Ukraine and stopping its brutal attacks against Ukraine's cities and people. Until it does, the United States and our allies and partners will stand united with Ukraine, for as long as it takes," Blinken said in a statement.
In response, Russia has repeatedly pointed out that Moscow launched its special military operations to stop the US-led West's eastward expansion and to defend the pro-Moscow population in Donbas, while stating that pouring more weapons into Ukraine will only add to the death and destruction.
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