General Atomics offers Reaper MQ-9 drones to Ukraine for $1 – WSJ

General Atomics offers Ukraine to purchase 2 Reaper MQ-9 drones for $1. However, Kyiv has to spend about $10 million to prepare and ship the aircraft to Ukraine, and approximately $8 million each year for maintenance.

The Wall Street Journal reported this.

The publication received an offer letter, which General Atomics management presented to the Ukrainian Embassy representatives in the United States.

According to journalists, the proposal would include a ground control station to operate the drones.

Neither the White House nor the Ukrainian government has yet commented on this information.

A General Atomics representative also mentioned that the company could not comment on specific deals. However, he believes that “Ukraine needs opportunities like Reaper, and in the near future.”

“General Atomics has discussed the needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces with their government for many months, and continues to support them in any way possible,” said C. Mark Brinkley, a Spokesman for General Atomics.

General Atomics first announced its readiness to transfer reconnaissance and attack drones to Ukraine back in April 2022.

After that, information about the alleged transfer of drones to Ukraine appeared several times. However, the matter did not go beyond those statements, since such a supply must have been approved by the White House.

In November 2022, WSJ journalists, citing their own sources, reported that the USA refused to transfer Gray Eagle drones to Ukraine.

However, attempts to implement the transfer did not stop – a group of senators from the Democratic and Republican parties appealed to the Biden administration with a request to reconsider the decision on the MQ-1C Gray Eagle drone transfer to Ukraine.