SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
A U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper drone sits on the tarmac of Creech Air Force Base in Nevada at dusk. (Photo: USAF)
Biden Plans to Sell Armed Attack Drones to Ukraine: Report
Western experts and Russian officials have warned that continued transfers of weaponry to embattled Ukraine risk a potentially catastrophic escalation in hostilities.
Jun 01, 2022
The Biden administration is planning to sell Ukraine armed attack drones as the embattled country continues to defend itself from Russia's nearly 100-day invasion, a move that experts say would risk increasing the chance of war between the United States and Russia.
"Supplying large, long-range drones would be a significant escalation in the types of systems supplied to Ukraine."
Reuters reports the administration plans to sell four General Atomics MQ-1C Gray Eagle drones that can be armed with Lockheed Martin AGM-114 Hellfire air-to-ground missiles and can fly for 30 hours or more and collect massive amounts of intelligence. The pilotless aircraft--which are a variant of the U.S. Army's Predator drones--can also carry as many as eight Hellfire missiles.
News of the planned sale followed reports that Ukraine will receive Lockheed Martin's High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), which can strike targets roughly 50 miles away with satellite-guided missiles.
The United States and its NATO allies have already sent tens of billions of military dollars to Ukraine, as well as weapons including 155 mm howitzers and tens of thousands of artillery rounds, main battle tanks, Boeing's Harpoon anti-ship missiles, and Bayraktar drones from Turkey.
Moscow officials have repeatedly warned that the transfer of Western weaponry to Ukraine is a provocative escalation that could lead ultimately lead to war between Russia and the United States--the world's two leading nuclear powers--and that incoming NATO arms are legitimate targets for Russian attack.
The U.S. Congress can still block the proposed sale.
Considering the possibility that Ukraine would receive U.S. attack drones, William D. Hartung, senior research fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, told The Intercept last month that "in my view, Ukraine has the right to defend itself, and some weapons supplies are warranted on that basis."
"But supplying large, long-range drones would be a significant escalation in the types of systems supplied to Ukraine," he continued, "and as such shouldn't go forward without significant scrutiny by Congress."
Another concern is Ukraine's status as a leading source for illicit weapons. The Global Organized Crime Index calls the country "one of the largest arms trafficking markets" in Europe.
"Before flooding Ukraine with additional weapons," the Quincy Institute's Taylor Giorno warned in March, "the U.S. and its NATO allies should consider the risks that they could fuel future conflicts long after the current war has ended."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
The Biden administration is planning to sell Ukraine armed attack drones as the embattled country continues to defend itself from Russia's nearly 100-day invasion, a move that experts say would risk increasing the chance of war between the United States and Russia.
"Supplying large, long-range drones would be a significant escalation in the types of systems supplied to Ukraine."
Reuters reports the administration plans to sell four General Atomics MQ-1C Gray Eagle drones that can be armed with Lockheed Martin AGM-114 Hellfire air-to-ground missiles and can fly for 30 hours or more and collect massive amounts of intelligence. The pilotless aircraft--which are a variant of the U.S. Army's Predator drones--can also carry as many as eight Hellfire missiles.
News of the planned sale followed reports that Ukraine will receive Lockheed Martin's High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), which can strike targets roughly 50 miles away with satellite-guided missiles.
The United States and its NATO allies have already sent tens of billions of military dollars to Ukraine, as well as weapons including 155 mm howitzers and tens of thousands of artillery rounds, main battle tanks, Boeing's Harpoon anti-ship missiles, and Bayraktar drones from Turkey.
Moscow officials have repeatedly warned that the transfer of Western weaponry to Ukraine is a provocative escalation that could lead ultimately lead to war between Russia and the United States--the world's two leading nuclear powers--and that incoming NATO arms are legitimate targets for Russian attack.
The U.S. Congress can still block the proposed sale.
Considering the possibility that Ukraine would receive U.S. attack drones, William D. Hartung, senior research fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, told The Intercept last month that "in my view, Ukraine has the right to defend itself, and some weapons supplies are warranted on that basis."
"But supplying large, long-range drones would be a significant escalation in the types of systems supplied to Ukraine," he continued, "and as such shouldn't go forward without significant scrutiny by Congress."
Another concern is Ukraine's status as a leading source for illicit weapons. The Global Organized Crime Index calls the country "one of the largest arms trafficking markets" in Europe.
"Before flooding Ukraine with additional weapons," the Quincy Institute's Taylor Giorno warned in March, "the U.S. and its NATO allies should consider the risks that they could fuel future conflicts long after the current war has ended."
The Biden administration is planning to sell Ukraine armed attack drones as the embattled country continues to defend itself from Russia's nearly 100-day invasion, a move that experts say would risk increasing the chance of war between the United States and Russia.
"Supplying large, long-range drones would be a significant escalation in the types of systems supplied to Ukraine."
Reuters reports the administration plans to sell four General Atomics MQ-1C Gray Eagle drones that can be armed with Lockheed Martin AGM-114 Hellfire air-to-ground missiles and can fly for 30 hours or more and collect massive amounts of intelligence. The pilotless aircraft--which are a variant of the U.S. Army's Predator drones--can also carry as many as eight Hellfire missiles.
News of the planned sale followed reports that Ukraine will receive Lockheed Martin's High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), which can strike targets roughly 50 miles away with satellite-guided missiles.
The United States and its NATO allies have already sent tens of billions of military dollars to Ukraine, as well as weapons including 155 mm howitzers and tens of thousands of artillery rounds, main battle tanks, Boeing's Harpoon anti-ship missiles, and Bayraktar drones from Turkey.
Moscow officials have repeatedly warned that the transfer of Western weaponry to Ukraine is a provocative escalation that could lead ultimately lead to war between Russia and the United States--the world's two leading nuclear powers--and that incoming NATO arms are legitimate targets for Russian attack.
The U.S. Congress can still block the proposed sale.
Considering the possibility that Ukraine would receive U.S. attack drones, William D. Hartung, senior research fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, told The Intercept last month that "in my view, Ukraine has the right to defend itself, and some weapons supplies are warranted on that basis."
"But supplying large, long-range drones would be a significant escalation in the types of systems supplied to Ukraine," he continued, "and as such shouldn't go forward without significant scrutiny by Congress."
Another concern is Ukraine's status as a leading source for illicit weapons. The Global Organized Crime Index calls the country "one of the largest arms trafficking markets" in Europe.
"Before flooding Ukraine with additional weapons," the Quincy Institute's Taylor Giorno warned in March, "the U.S. and its NATO allies should consider the risks that they could fuel future conflicts long after the current war has ended."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.