Bipartisan Group Of US Lawmakers Asks Pentagon To Give Ukraine Advanced Drones - Reports

Bipartisan Group of US Lawmakers Asks Pentagon to Give Ukraine Advanced Drones - Reports

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Wednesday received a letter from a bipartisan group of 17 lawmakers who are urging the Defense Department to send advanced drones to Ukraine for use against Russian forces, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday

WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd September, 2022) US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Wednesday received a letter from a bipartisan group of 17 lawmakers who are urging the Defense Department to send advanced drones to Ukraine for use against Russian forces, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.

The lawmakers asked Austin to conduct a security review of advanced drones requested by Ukraine in the hope of providing them an upper hand on the battlefield, the report said, citing a reviewed copy of the letter.

The letter specifically mentioned the provision of MQ-1C Gray Eagle and MQ-9A Reaper combat drones, made by General Atomics, capable of carrying Hellfire air-to-surface missiles, the report said.

The drones could provide Ukraine with continuous surveillance and long range precision tracking and targeting needed to counter Russian rockets and missiles, the report cited the lawmakers as saying.

The Defense Department has so far been reluctant to give Ukraine advanced drones over concerns that Russia could consider the move escalatory, the report said.

The US government also fears that sensitive technology included in the drones could fall into Russian hands if intercepted, the report added.