Reuters: The United States has suspended the sale of MQ-1C Gray Eagle drones with Hellfire missiles to Ukraine. Why?

Earlier in June, Reuters reported that the United States intends to sell four attack drones to Ukraine for use in the war against Russia. However, the plan now appears to be on hold.

What is the reason?

We are talking about four combat drones MQ-1C Gray Eagle, which can be armed with Hellfire missiles. They are produced by General Atomics and were originally intended for the US Army. The Gray Eagles are worth $10 million each, according to Army budget documents.

Reuters, citing multiple sources familiar with the matter, says the plan to sell has been put on hold over concerns that the radar and drone surveillance equipment could pose a security threat to the United States if they fall into Russian hands. The technical objection to the sale comes as part of a deeper review by the Pentagon's Defense Technology Security Office, which is tasked with safeguarding high-value technology from the hands of the enemy, despite the fact that the plan, which has been circulating since March, has been approved by the White House.

This consideration was overlooked in the initial consideration, sources said, but resurfaced in meetings at the Pentagon late last week.

A decision to go ahead with the deal is currently being considered by higher levels at the Pentagon, but the timing of any decision is unclear, a U.S. official said on condition of anonymity. One solution to move the sale forward would be to replace the existing radar and sensor suite with something less complex, but that could take months.

Source: Reuters