US firm offers drones to Ukraine for $US1 with some costs

Sale of long-range, high-speed Reaper unmanned aircraft would require Biden administration approval.

A Reaper drone returns from a mission over the US-Mexico border last November at Fort Huachuca, Arizona. Picture: Getty Images

A US weapons maker is offering to sell the Ukraine government two Reaper MQ-9 drones for $US1 in an effort to help the country defend itself as it prepares for an expected Russian offensive.

The deal also would require Kyiv to spend about $US10m to prepare and ship the aircraft to Ukraine, and about $US8m each year for maintenance and sustainment of the older model drones, which currently are not being used in Ukraine.

The proposal would include a ground control station to operate the drones almost anywhere, according to a letter reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. The proposal was made by Linden Blue, the chief executive officer of General Atomics, which makes the Reapers, to Ukraine’s defence attache in Washington last week.

The White House, which would have to approve the sale, declined to comment. The Ukrainian government also declined to comment.

A spokesman for General Atomics said the company could not comment on specific deals, but that “we do believe Ukraine needs a capability like the Reaper, and soon”.

“General Atomics has been discussing the requirements of the Ukrainian armed forces with their government for many months, and remains committed to supporting them in any way possible,” said C. Mark Brinkley, the spokesman for General Atomics.

The US has provided more than 700 smaller drones to Ukraine over the course of the last year, including tactical Switchblade drones. Those drones are not armed, but can be carried in backpacks and are used to crash into targets. They have been used extensively to defend Ukrainian positions.

The Reaper, however, is a much more sophisticated drone with significantly longer ranges, speeds and capabilities. The Reaper has a wingspan of about 32m and can be armed. It can fly for more than 24 hours. The company is offering an older version of the drone, MQ-9A Block 1 aircraft, which would normally cost several million dollars a piece.

The drones could be used to gather intelligence as well as surveillance and reconnaissance, but have the ability to carry weapons.

Under the proposal, the company would cover the costs of training the initial cadre of troops to operate the drones at a facility in California owned by General Atomics. The company estimates the government in Kyiv would have to pay General Atomics to prepare the aircraft for combat, and then more money to have them shipped to Ukraine, for a total of about $US10m, according to the proposal. In addition, the company estimates that Kyiv would have to bear an annual cost of about $US8m for spare parts and maintenance.

General Atomics did not say how much of those costs it would receive. The Reaper drone along the Gray Eagle, also made by General Atomics, would allow Ukrainian forces to conduct strikes and surveillance over Russian troops from a safer distance. The White House has resisted efforts to provide the Gray Eagles, which are currently operated by the US Army, over fears that sensitive technology on board the plane, including the camera, could fall into Russian hands if the aircraft were brought down.

The Reapers, which are larger and have a bigger payload, are flown by the U.S. Air Force.

The sale of the drones would still require the Biden administration to approve the transfer of the technology to Ukraine. However, General Atomics is proposing to sell the Reapers directly to the Ukraine government, as opposed to through the US government.

The Wall Street Journal