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Part of President Joe Biden’s latest package of military aid for Ukraine is a new type of killer drone known as the Phoenix Ghost that the US Air Force quickly developed and is well-suited for use by Ukrainian forces as they combat Russia, the Pentagon said.
The new weapon is similar in capability to the Switchblade drones the US has already supplied to the Ukrainian military, a senior US defence official told Pentagon reporters.
Switchblades are known as “kamikaze” drones, as they are designed to make a one-way trip to their target, exploding on impact.
The Phoenix Ghost “provides the same sort of tactical capability that a Switchblade does", the official said.
“It clearly is designed to deliver a punch.”
The Pentagon will ship more than 121 of the new Phoenix Ghost drones to Ukraine, Mr Biden announced on Thursday.
It will be up to the Ukrainian authorities where and how to deploy them, the Pentagon added.
The US defence official had "no idea" how the drone got its name and said “minimal training is required” on the Phoenix Ghosts, referencing slight differences in capability compared to the Switchblade, without providing details.
The drones were built by AEVEX Aerospace, Bloomberg reported, and were “rapidly developed by the air force in response specifically to Ukrainian requirements", Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said.
Switchblades extend the range of attack on Russian vehicles and units to beyond the sight of the user.
That gives them an advantage over the guided heat-seeking missiles the Ukrainians have used against Russian tanks.
On Friday, Mr Kirby said the drone was not specifically developed for Ukraine but its features meet many of the Ukrainian military's needs.
"It was already under development by the US Air Force and the kinds of capabilities that we were developing it for happened to be very appropriate to the kind of fighting that that we anticipate is going to go on in the Donbas region," Mr Kirby said.
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Pro-Russian troops, including fighters of the Chechen special forces unit, survey the destroyed administration building of Azovstal Iron and Steel Works in Mariupol, Ukraine. Reuters -
A young Ukrainian refugee, one of 71 to board a flight from Moldova, sits on a suitcase after arriving in Bordeaux, France. AFP -
A member of a demining team of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine carries an unexploded projectile during mine clearing near Brovary, north-east of Kyiv. AFP -
An armoured convoy of pro-Russian troops presses on in the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol. Reuters -
A worker cleans a statue of the founder of the Soviet Union Vladimir Lenin at Moscow Square in Saint Petersburg, Russia. AFP -
Firefighters battle flames at a warehouse after a Russian bombardment in Kharkiv, Ukraine. AP Photo -
People walk along a street past a missile that stuck in the ground, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Rubizhne, Luhansk region, Ukraine. Reuters -
A man rides his bicycle next to a destroyed Russian tank in Chernihiv, Ukraine. AP Photo -
A man walks next to a fire after a Russian bombardment in Kharkiv, Ukraine. AP Photo -
A Ukrainian refugee from Mariupol area, is greeted after arriving in a small convoy that crossed through a territory held by Russian forces, after the opening of a humanitarian corridor, at a registration center for internally displaced people, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine. Reuters -
A Ukrainian soldier stands during the funeral of his father in Bucha, on the outskirts of Kyiv. AP -
Ukrainian soldiers walk on a destroyed bridge in Irpin, on the outskirts of Kyiv. AP -
Ukrainians receive humanitarian aid organised by local volunteers in Irpin. AP -
Volodymyr Lukyanovych, 63, cuts wood to make a fire outside his house in Irpin. His home was destroyed by Russian shelling. AP -
Vova, 10, and his father, Ivan Drahun, look at the grave of his mother, Maryna, during her funeral in Bucha. AP -
Sergei, 11, waits his turn to receive donated food during an aid humanitarian distribution in Bucha. AP -
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, and European Council President Charles Michel attend a news conference after their meeting in Kyiv. AP -
People pay their respects during the funeral in Kyiv for Ukrainian serviceman Volodymyr Karas, who died fighting Russian troops. AP -
Alexandra Kusminova pets her cat, named Mouse, in a restaurant in Dnipro, Ukraine, that was transformed into a shelter for those fleeing the war. AP -
A woman reads a book as she lays on a bed in the shelter. AP -
City workers repair a war-damaged road in Bucha. Getty Images -
The village council and police department buildings destroyed by Russian shelling in Lymany, just outside Mykolaiv, Ukraine. Getty Images -
Local residents receive bottled water from a truck, since there has been no running water for more than a week in Mykolaiv. Getty Images -
A destroyed car on the road between Kyiv and Chernihiv. EPA -
A man looks at a burned APC in Yahidne, Chernihiv. EPA -
A man holds part of a missile in Yahidne. EPA -
A resident clears up a house that was occupied by Russian soldiers in Yahidne. EPA -
Local youth Vladyslav, 17, inspects the basement of the school building in Yahidne. EPA -
A local resident walks on the street in Yahidne. EPA -
Local residents speak on the street next to war ruins. EPA -
A destroyed garage in Ivanivka. EPA -
A man looks at bombs that litter a field in Ivanivka. EPA -
Natalia and her daughter climb a ladder, passing over a destroyed bridge in Kyiv. EPA
