WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd February, 2023) US defense company General Atomics is offering Ukraine two of its "Reaper" drone systems and related equipment for the price of $1, General Atomics said in a statement.
"From the outset of the Russian invasion, we began looking for options to respond to the requests of Ukrainian forces with our products, including the MQ-9 Reaper and MQ-1C Gray Eagle," the statement said on Wednesday. "Recently, we offered to transfer two of our own, company-owned training aircraft, plus the ground control station and other hardware required to operate them, for the symbolic price of $1, and reiterated our offer to train the first cadre of pilots and maintainers at our expense."
However, the offer must first be approved by the US government, the statement added.
In December, US media reported that the US Air Force planned to supply Reaper drones to Ukraine, but the matter ended in a stalemate due to concerns about sensitive technology aboard the unmanned systems.
Reaper drones are capable of conducting reconnaissance and carrying Hellfire air-to-surface missiles, making them a so-called "hunter-killer" system.
The US government fears that sensitive technology could fall into Russian hands if the drones are shot down and intercepted, the reports said.
Long-range unmanned aerial systems are an obvious "force-multiplying" technology that has so far been overlooked in efforts to support Ukraine, General Atomics' statement said. Introducing the systems on the battlefield would provide an "immediate impact," the statement also said.
