2 drones for only 1 dollar: the offer of the American company for Ukraine in the middle of the war

Washington:

A major US manufacturer of advanced military surveillance drones announced Wednesday that it is willing to sell two drones to Ukraine for just $1, and called on the US government to approve the deal.

General Atomic Aeronautical Systems said it had been urging Washington for months to provide Ukraine with its powerful Gray Eagle and Reaper drones, which US forces have used to a large extent in surveillance and targeted strikes in Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq and other conflict zones. used for.

It said drones, which can fly long distances at moderate altitudes, are one of the most obvious, force-boosting technologies Ukraine needs in its war against the Russian military.

The US military has provided several small attack and surveillance drones to Ukraine, but none with advanced technologies and long-range capabilities like General Atomic’s unmanned aircraft.

General Atomics CEO Linden Blue said in a statement: “Since the beginning of the Russian invasion, we began looking for options to respond to Ukrainian military requests with our products, including the MQ-9 Reaper and MQ-1C Gray Eagle. Gave.” ,

He said the company has offered to train Ukrainian operators at no cost to the US or Ukrainian governments.

And the company was ready to hand over two of its own training aircraft, along with a ground control station and other hardware, for a token $1.

He said Ukraine or anyone else would have to pay to prepare and move the planes and set up operations to keep them in the air over the battlefield.

“The offer is a remarkable deal with no conditions attached,” Blue said.

“All that is needed is approval from the US government.”

“From our point of view, it is long past time to enable the Ukrainian military with the information dominance necessary to win this war,” he said.

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