WASHINGTON (REUTERS, NYTIMES) - Newly disclosed "Ghost" drones that are part of America's latest arms package for Ukraine were developed by the US Air Force for attacking targets and are destroyed after a single use, the Pentagon said on Thursday (April 21).
The United States and its allies have ramped up arms shipments to Kyiv ahead of Russia's announced offensive in eastern Ukraine, as Moscow tries to salvage its nearly two-month old campaign.
Ukrainian forces have used Western weapons including Stinger and Javelin missiles along with drones, like the Turkish Bayraktar TB2 and US-made Switchblade, effectively to target Russian positions.
The White House said earlier on Thursday that over 121 Phoenix Ghost Tactical Unmanned Aerial Systems would be provided to Ukraine as part of the new arms package.
The Pentagon said the Ghost drones are well suited for the coming fight in Ukraine's Donbas region, which officials have described as flat terrain reminiscent of the US state of Kansas.
"It was developed for a set of requirements that very closely match what the Ukrainians need right now in Donbas," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said, without elaborating.
Little else is known about the drones, including their range and precise capabilities, and Kirby declined to offer more details about them.
Still, he did say they were designed mainly for striking targets.
"It can also be used to give you a sight picture of what it's seeing, of course. But its principal focus is attack," Kirby said.
A small number of Ukrainians have been trained in the United States on how to operate Switchblade drones, single-use weapons that fly into their targets and detonate on impact.
Kirby said training for the Ghost drones would be similar to the training on the Switchblade. But he declined to detail training plans or say how many Ukrainians would be trained on the new system.
The Ghost drones have not yet been delivered to Ukraine.
Earlier on Thursday, Kirby said the drones had been rapidly developed for Ukraine. But later, at a news conference, he clarified that development had started before the Russian invasion on Feb 24.
"But we will continue to move that development in ways that are attuned to Ukrainian requirements for unmanned aerial systems of a tactical nature in eastern Ukraine," Kirby said.
The United States is also providing a significant new flush of artillery weapons: dozens of 155-mm howitzers.
Five new Ukrainian artillery battalions will be outfitted, each with 18 guns and nearly 37,000 rounds. Weapons of this type can generally fire three to five times per minute, according to military documents, striking targets about 40km away with 90-pound shells.
The howitzers, which have to be towed into position and then can be moved again after firing, are able to maintain a steady stream of fire that can be used to force Russian forces to duck into trenches while Ukrainian infantry troops advance.
"We think it could have significant additional firepower for the Ukrainians," one senior US defence official said. "If we didn't believe that, we wouldn't have moved forward with that many howitzers and that many more rounds."
The decision was made, the official said, in consultation with the Ukrainian military. "We think it will be a significant contributor, and a meaningful contributor to their ability to continue to defend themselves in the Donbas," the official added.
Some of the first batch of 18 howitzers have already arrived in Ukraine, having been drawn from US Army and Marine Corps inventories in the United States, the Pentagon said.
Additional howitzers will arrive over the weekend, when more than 50 Ukrainian artillery soldiers are expected to complete their training on the new American guns at an undisclosed location outside their country, and then return to the fight against the Russians.
