[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] The U.S. government is facing conflicts with Congress over the deployment of the cutting-edge drone 'Gray Eagle' to counter Iranian drones in the Ukraine war.
On the 22nd (local time), The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that 16 bipartisan U.S. senators sent a letter to the Biden administration urging that "the U.S. should send armed drones to Ukraine."
Senators from both the Democratic and Republican parties urged Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in the letter to provide Ukraine with the MQ-1C unmanned reconnaissance and attack aircraft, commonly known as the Gray Eagle.
The letter requested reconsideration of the Pentagon's decision not to provide the armed drone that Ukraine had requested, despite additional military aid worth $400 million including T-72 tanks and air defense missiles.
The letter was signed by Republican senators Joni Ernst (Iowa) and James Inhofe (Oklahoma), as well as Democratic senators Tim Kaine (Virginia), Joe Manchin (West Virginia), and Mark Kelly (Arizona).
WSJ described this letter as a representative example of the tension between the White House and Congress, which have had disagreements and conflicts for months amid the prolonged phase of the Ukraine war.
According to the U.S. political media outlet Politico, the U.S. government had previously considered deploying the Gray Eagle to the Ukraine war in June but decided not to provide it due to technical issues. The concern was that if the Gray Eagle were shot down, sensitive technology could be stolen by Russian forces.
Congress has repeatedly pressured for support, stating that following the tactical truck 'High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS)' which led Ukraine's counterattack, the Gray Eagle would be a weapon that increases the lethality of Ukrainian forces.
The senators argued that deploying the Gray Eagle is necessary to counter the Iranian drones that played a key role in helping Russian forces gain advantageous positions. They believe this could break the blockade by attacking Russian warships in the Black Sea and reduce pressure on Ukraine's economy and global food prices.
The Gray Eagle is a medium-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle capable of flying up to 25,000 feet at speeds of 170 miles per hour. It can stay airborne for over 30 hours, performing real-time reconnaissance, tracking, and engagement functions, and can carry up to eight Hellfire missiles, giving it high lethality.
Since the outbreak of the war in February, Ukraine has operated the RQ-20 Puma AE, a small reconnaissance drone produced by AeroVironment, and the Turkish-made attack drone Bayraktar-TB2. The Gray Eagle is evaluated as superior because its maximum takeoff weight is about three times that of the Bayraktar-TB2 and it is compatible with a wider variety of munitions.
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