Ukraine bumps Reaper spy drones up to top of its wish list — Politico

Ukraine is increasingly interested in receiving the MQ-9 Reaper reconnaissance drone from the US, moving it to the top of its wish list in recent months.

Politico writes about it.

As noted by the media outlet, interest in these UAVs has increased as Ukraine plans operations for the summer and looks for new ways to help identify Russian targets deep in the rear.

From the first days of the war, Kyiv prioritized the MQ-9 Reaper, seeking to use it for strikes and surveillance.

However, according to four Politico sources familiar with the matter, Ukraine has recently abandoned some of that intent and is mostly interested in using the Reapers only for intelligence.

Three industry representatives and a person familiar with Ukraine's requests said the desire for drones is not new but has become more critical to Kyiv as it seeks any battlefield advantage it can.

According to the media outlet, the US, for its part, still does not dare to provide the MQ-9 Reaper due to fears that Russia may shoot them down.

We will remind that as early as 2022, a group of members of Congress, which included representatives of both parties, called on the US Defense Ministry to provide Ukraine with modern drones, which have not been provided so far.

The letter from 17 members of Congress is addressed to Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin and dated August 21.

It notes that Ukraine could better counter Russian threats with advanced drones such as the MQ-1C Gray Eagle or the MQ-9A Reaper.

"These advanced systems can be located far from the front line and provide constant surveillance, long-range precision tracking and targeting, which is necessary to combat Russian missiles," the letter said.

However, at the same time, it became known that the Biden administration, due to fears of escalation, would not provide Ukraine with modern drones, despite requests from Kyiv and a bipartisan group of members of Congress.

The Pentagon rejected the request, fearing that the provision of Gray Eagle MQ-1C drones could lead to an escalation of the conflict and give a signal to Moscow that the US is providing weapons that can be aimed at positions on Russian territory.

US officials have also, at times, expressed concern that the technology on board the drone could be stolen on the battlefield. However, officials said that concerns that cameras aboard the platform could be stolen if the drone were shot down were not central to the decision.

It should be added that Ukraine will receive advanced strike drones with firearms on board manufactured by Feloni Aero from the United States .