Iran Press/ America: Iran has categorically rejected unfounded claims that the Islamic republic has transferred UAVs for use in the conflict in Ukraine.
Sixteen senators signed a letter addressed to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin dated Tuesday urging the administration to send Ukraine the MQ-1C Gray Eagle armed drones, which are medium-altitude drones that can fly for over a day.
The bipartisan group said Ukrainian Minister of Defense Oleksii Reznikov and Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States Oksana Markarova “have repeatedly requested” that the US provide them with these weapons.
The lawmakers have called on the Biden administration to reconsider its decision not to provide Ukraine with advanced drones that -as they claim- could help the country continue to reclaim its territory.
The MQ-1C Gray Eagle armed drones, which only require about a month of training and are made by General Atomics, would “increase Ukraine’s unmanned capabilities in the near-term and demands careful consideration,” the senators continued, stressing that this “system’s operational attributes — availability, lethality, survivability, and exportability — complement existing weapon systems used by the Ukrainians and will increase the lethality of the Ukrainian military.”
The drone can carry a payload of 800 pounds (360 kg) and may be armed with weapons such as AGM-114 Hellfire missiles and GBU-44/B Viper Strike guided bombs.
The senators who signed the letter include Jim Inhofe (R-OK), the outgoing ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Joni Ernst (R-IA), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Michael Rounds (R-SD), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), John Hoeven (R-ND), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Jerry Moran (R-KS).
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