U.S. defense contractor General Atomics has offered to sell Ukraine two Reaper MQ-9 drones for a dollar, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday, citing a recent letter from company CEO Linden Blue to Ukraine's defense attaché in Washington. The sale would include a ground control station that would allow Ukraine's military to operate the drones from almost anywhere in the country, more than 24 hours per flight.
General Atomics declined to confirm the specific deal, but company spokesman C. Mark Brinkley said "we do believe Ukraine needs a capability like the Reaper, and soon." The sale would be directly to Ukraine, not through the U.S. government, but the Biden administration would have to sign off on the transfer of technology. Reapers, even the older version on offer, cost millions of dollars, so $1 is quite a bargain. However, the Journal notes, "the deal would require Kyiv to spend about $10 million to prepare and ship the aircraft to Ukraine, and about $8 million each year for maintenance and sustainment."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Given the $27 billion in U.S. security assistance flowing to Ukraine so far, you would think this is a boom time for U.S. defense contractors — and that's what investors expected last year, at least, the Journal reports. But Lockheed Martin, maker of Javalin and HIMARS rocket launchers, said last week it expects sales to shrink this year for a second year in a row, before getting a bump in 2024 from delayed Ukraine-related orders. You can read more about why defense contractors are not swimming in profits (yet) from the Ukraine war in The Wall Street Journal.
-
Critics’ choice: Watering holes for gourmandsFeature An endless selection of Mexican spirits, a Dublin-inspired bar, and an upscale Baltimore pub
-
Argentinian beef is at the center of American farmers’ woesThe Explainer ‘It feels like a slap in the face to rural America,’ said one farmer
-
‘Businesses that lose money and are uncompetitive won’t survive’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Russia's Crimea fleet shipyard on fire after Ukrainian missile strikePhotos and videos showed huge explosions and raging fires at the Sevastopol Shipyard
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstancesSpeed Read
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2Speed Read
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governorSpeed Read
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditionsSpeed Read
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billionSpeed Read
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on recordSpeed Read
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homesSpeed Read
