Charleston, WV (WOAY) – U.S. Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Shelley Moore Capito are leading 16 bipartisan Senators in urging U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to provide Ukrainian forces with MQ-1C Gray Eagle drones.
The Pentagon has considered transferring armed Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) to Ukraine for months without a final decision, and providing the drones has the potential to impact the course of the war in Ukraine’s favor.
Ukraine’s Minister of Defense Oleskii Reznikov, and Ambassador to the U.S. Oksana Markarova, have persistently requested the MQ-IC Gray Eagle.
The UAS system’s operational features include availability, lethality, survivability, and exportability. Additionally, it complements Ukraine’s existing weapons systems.
Armed UAS’Â are capable of finding and attacking Russian warships in the Black Sea, breaking its coercive blockade, which would release pressure on Ukraine’s economy and global food prices.
