The United States Department of Defense is considering the sale of four MQ-1C Gray Eagle Medium Altitude Long Endurance armed drones, three sources informed on the matter told Reuters.
The Foreign Military Sale could soon be presented by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) to the US Congress for approval.
In mid-April 2022, the Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova had met with representatives of General Atomics to discuss the potential acquisition of armed drones.
The Gray Eagle is based on the MQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial system developed by General Atomics. It can carry AGM-114 Hellfire air-to-ground missiles and GBU-44/B Viper Strike guided bombs.
The Ukrainian armed forces do not currently employ the MQ-1, meaning that its operation would require training.
Ukraine already operates a variety of drones, from loitering munitions to the Turkish Bayraktar TB2. Though smaller than its US-made competitor, the TB2 has proved effective in the fight against invading Russians. The drone was credited for helping to sink the Russian missile cruiser Moskva and bombing Russian anti-air defense systems on Snake Island.