Instead, such drones hang in the air before crashing into their target and detonating an anti-armor warhead on impact. has already delivered to Ukraine in that it doesn’t fire on an enemy from a far distance. The Phoenix Ghost is similar to “switchblade” drones-also known as “kamikaze drones” or “loitering munitions”-the U.S. The unmanned aerial vehicle is designed to be flown only once. Kirby said he had “no idea” how the drone got its name-which does seem like a misnomer because, unlike a phoenix, the drone will not rise again. The drone has been developed by the California-based AEVEX Aerospace-a secretive company that says it provides “full-spectrum airborne intelligence solutions.” will send 121 units of the drone to Ukraine. “You’re not going to have 120 on your shelves if you just started them on the 24th of February,” Kirby said, noting the U.S. Previously, a different Pentagon official had implied the Phoenix Ghost was created specifically for Ukraine, but Kirby walked back those comments, stating that the drone had been in development long before Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the invasion. “ was developed for a set of requirements that very closely match what the Ukrainians need right now in Donbas,” Pentagon press secretary John Kirby told reporters on Thursday, referring to the Eastern region of Ukraine, where Russia has focused its assault. The Phoenix Ghost, an unmanned aerial vehicle, was partly designed with Ukraine in mind, the Pentagon says. The latest $800 million package, unveiled in mid-March, includes funds earmarked to gift Kyiv a brand-new line of drones that have never been deployed in combat before. The United States has spent roughly $3.4 billion on sending military assistance to Ukraine since Russia invaded on Feb.

American drone stock