“The first rounds of that equipment will be in the Ukrainian hands by the end of the weekend,” the second official said to CNBC.
Secret Phoenix Ghost Drones to Ukraine
One of the new weaponry that the US is sending to Ukraine is the Phoenix Ghost drone. According to Pentagon Spokesman John Kirby, these drones were “rapidly developed by the Air Force” specifically for the Ukrainians.
These drones are manufactured by Aevex Aerospace in Solana Beach, California, which is said to function similar to the Switchblade unmanned aerial systems that were earlier sent to Ukraine, but were not exactly the same. Not a lot is known about this new loitering kamikaze munition. However, it is said to require minimal training to operate, making it very easy for the Ukrainians to use. Some 121 units of the drones were made specifically for use in the Donbas region.
“There are other differences in the scope of capability for the Phoenix Ghosts, but I’m just not going to be able to get into more detail about those capabilities right now,” Kirby said.
“It provides the same sort of tactical capability that a Switchblade does. Switchblade is a one-way drone, if you will, and it clearly is designed to deliver a punch. It’s a tactical UAS, and Phoenix ghost is of that same category,” Kirby explained, who was knowingly holding back details of the munition, possibly due to its classified nature.
Breaking Defense’s Valerie Insinma called Aevex Aerospace to ask about the specifications of the munition but was quickly shot down, with a representative saying, “We have no comment on the issue you are calling about.”
“So you have no comment on the company’s work on Phoenix Ghost?” she asked.
“No, we do not,” they replied.
Just called @AEVEX_Aerospace and asked to talk with someone cleared to speak to the media. Was told by whoever picked up the phone that "we have no comment on the issue you are calling about." "So you have no comment on the company's work on Phoenix Ghost?" "No we do not."
— Valerie Insinna (@ValerieInsinna) April 21, 2022
However, retired Lt. Gen. David Deptula, the dean of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies and a member of the Aevex board, told POLITICO that the Phoenix Ghost was a “one-way aircraft that is effective against medium armored ground targets.” The drone can reportedly take off vertically, fly for 6 hours, and operate at night using its infrared sensors. Lt. Gen. Deptula recently wrote for SOFREP about the difficulties of maintaining a No-Fly zone over Ukraine that you can read here.
According to Aevex’s company website, it describes itself as a company that is a “leader in full-spectrum airborne intelligence solutions,” which provides flight test support for the development of new aircraft, the operation of unmanned aircraft systems, and provides post-mission collection analysis.
That being said, the company does not seem to be a UAV manufacturer but does seem to have the capabilities to provide the technology and engineering to develop a UAV – possibly ways to control the UAV or its inner mechanisms. This is completely plausible as AEVEX was awarded a contract in 2021 by the US General Services Administration to design and engineer sensors of a “special missions aircraft, manned, and unmanned.” The 10-year contract was said to be worth $2 billion and falls under the ASTRO program.
The ASTRO program, according to their website, “is a broadly scoped series of contract vehicles encompassing virtually all services supporting or involving manned, unmanned, or optionally manned platforms and robotics,” which may mean that AEVEX may be working in collaboration with other companies to build a UAV such as the Phoenix Drone.
Thus far in the conflict, Ukraine has been conducting a master class in the employment of drones in the contested airspace over their country, conducting hundreds of sorties providing spotting and recon for missile strikes, air strikes, artillery barrages and most recently as decoys in its cruise missile strike on the cruiser Moskva in the Black Sea.
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