BORODIANKA, UKRAINE - APRIL 21: In this aerial view, the inside of destroyed apartments are seen from the outside on April 21, 2022 in Borodianka, Ukraine. (Photo by Alexey Furman/Getty Images) WASHINGTON - Among the $800 million in military aid President Joe Biden announced for Ukraine this week are 120 Phoenix Ghost drones, a new weapon developed by the Air Force and fast-tracked to meet a specific need for Ukrainian forces.But what exactly the drones do and how exactly they’ll help Ukraine in their fight against Russian aggression aren’t clear.
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby declined to elaborate on the Phoenix Ghost’s capabilities, noting that it’s used "largely but not exclusively to attack targets" and it’s well-suited for the terrain in the Donbas, the industrial region in the east that the Kremlin has declared to be its new main objective."What we're providing is done in full consultation with the Ukrainians and they believe that these systems will be helpful to them in the fight in the Donbas.
Where and when they employ them and how they employ them, of course, is going to be up to them," Kirby said.The Phoenix Ghost was developed by the Air Force and produced by Aevex Aerospace, a U.S.
company that bills itself as a leader in "full-spectrum airborne intelligence solutions."Kirby said the drones were in the works before Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb.