Phoenix Ghost, a mysterious new loitering 'kamikaze drone' built expressly for Ukraine's battle against Russia by the US Air Force, is included in the current US security support package released on April 21.

According to Pentagon spokesman John Kirby, the loitering munition is a brand-new platform created fast with assistance from Ukraine to fulfill the country's military requirements as it attempts to blunt Russia's renewed offensive in the Donbas region.

"This was developed rapidly by the Air Force in response to specific requirements from Ukraine," Kirby told reporters on April 21. More than 121 Phoenix Ghosts – an oddly precise yet frustratingly vague number — are heading to Ukraine as part of the latest $800 million aid package revealed Thursday.

Phoenix Ghost supplies comparable, "but not identical, "Kirby compared the Switchblade tube-launched loitering munition to the AeroVironment Switchblade loitering munition on a conference call reporters on April 21, the 57th day of Russia's attack on Ukraine. There are distinctions in the "scope of capability for the Phoenix Ghost," but the nature of those distinctions is unknown. It will be effective against a variety of targets, he stated.

Switchblade is a tube-launched loitering munition with a camera and a warhead attached. It can be used for monitoring or targeted attacks, and it is capable of homing in on a fixed place without manual piloting. There is a wealth of additional material accessible here about Switchblade and a variety of suicide drones and their employment in modern warfare.

The US has previously provided Ukraine with 400 Switchblade loitering missiles. Last week, the first supply of 100 made its way to the country, and the second shipment of 300 was announced. Switchblades are available in two sizes to combat a variety of targets — the -300 and the much more powerful, anti-armor-capable -600. The latter is in extremely short supply, having been incorporated into US stockpiles only recently. If not utilized as kinetic weapons against hostile forces, the lethal drones can frequently be repurposed for observation missions.

When questioned about the name of the Phoenix Ghost, Kirby stated, "I have no idea." I'm not sure. I'm not sure."

"I'm hesitant to go into great detail about the system at this point for classification reasons, but you can safely assume that it works in general," Kirby added. "It possesses the same tactical capabilities as a Switchblade. Switchblade is, in a sense, a one-way drone, and it is clearly designed to deliver a punch. It's a tactical unmanned aircraft system, and Phoenix phantom falls into the same category."

Later that day, Kirby stated that the system, which was created under a US military contract with AEVEX Aerospace, had been in development before the present conflict "for a set of requirements that very closely match what the Ukrainians currently need in Donbas."

AEVEX promotes itself as a full-service provider of aircraft and sensor systems, including design, development, integration, operations, maintenance, and data analysis. The War Zone has reached out to AEVEX for additional information on its role in designing the drone and the aircraft's design but has not received a response. According to Breaking Defense, the corporation had "no comment on the issue."

AEVEX does not appear to be a maker of unmanned systems. The corporation probably served as a prime contractor, developing and integrating components such as control systems and a warhead onto an existing UAS. Additionally, it may be acting as the domestic contractor lead for an imported or licensed design.

The United States General Services Administration gave AEVEX a contract in November 2021 under the ASTRO program, which covers all aspects of manned, unmanned, or optionally manned platforms and robotics. This 10-year contract has a $2 billion ceiling and includes the use of AEVEX's test and training range in Roswell, New Mexico, rapid prototyping services, and FAA Part 145 certified repair station for the "design, engineering, and integration of sensors and special mission aircraft, both manned and unmanned," AEVEX CEO Brian Raduenz said in a statement at the time of the contract's award. Although it is unclear whether the creation of Phoenix Ghost was included in that contract, the scope of work would involve such unmanned system integration. "This acquisition will considerably strengthen our capabilities to assist innovative research and data management activities across aviation for our warfighters operating in all domains," Raduenz added.

Individual personnel operates the majority of tube-launched expendable drones. They can be released from the ground, vehicles, seagoing vessels, or aircraft. Although this is an advanced capability, several loitering UAS has been launched by larger drones. A Switchblade-300 weighs around 5.5 pounds and has a range of approximately 10 kilometers with a 15-minute endurance cruise at 63 miles per hour. The more extensive 600 series has a flight time of 40 minutes, a weight of 55 pounds — including a 33-pound warhead — and a threshold range of around 40 kilometers. We have no idea whether this is a tube-launched aircraft, a converted multi-rotor aircraft, or something else.

Kirby stated that the new system should be easily integrated into existing Ukrainian soldiers but require some training.

"It will require some minimal training for knowledgeable UAS operators to operate it, and we will work directly with the Ukrainian Armed Forces to develop those training requirements," he said.

While the specific design of Phoenix Ghost is unclear, suicide drones of various varieties have proven to be highly effective in modern conflict. They do not have to be highly sophisticated systems. Again, this new technology could be an armed quadcopter for all anybody knows. Armed commercially accessible unmanned systems are valuable and easily deployable. They could be provided in large quantities very cheaply, as Tyler Rogoway, Editor-in-Chief of The War Zone, speculated in March. Indeed, for over five years, adversaries of the United States and other malevolent actors have demonstrated this by transforming off-the-shelf hobby and commercial drones into effective killing machines. Ukraine, too, is currently employing homemade armed drones on the battlefield. This is a required field in which the United States has fallen behind due to a lack of demand from the Department of Defense, export limitations, and, some would argue, a social undercurrent opposed to the weaponization of extremely low-end unmanned technologies.

The Ghost Phoenixes are part of a broader $800 million security assistance package released by the White House on April 21. The package includes 72 additional 155mm Howitzers and the corresponding number of towing vehicles, 144,000 artillery ammunition, field equipment, and spare parts. In addition to the $800 million aid package announced last week, the US has committed 90 pieces of artillery to Ukraine and armored vehicles, tactical drones, anti-tank guided missiles, counter-battery, and air-defense radars, and helicopters.

As the conflict continues, the US military is modifying the capabilities in each defense support package to meet the needs of Ukrainian forces on the ground, Kirby said.

"This addition to the PDA packages is a direct result, a very tangible result, of... the constant conversation we're having with Ukrainians about their needs, and this is an excellent example of adapting to their needs in real time," Kirby explained.

President Joe Biden met this morning with Ukraine Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal to discuss recent developments in the battle with Russia and preview the additional $800 million in security assistance and $500 million in economic aid that will be announced later in the day. At the Pentagon, Shmyhal also met with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

In his address announcing the latest aid package, Biden stated that ongoing assistance would be tailored to the struggle in the Donbas, where Russian armor and artillery have an edge.

"The United States and our Allies and partners are moving quickly to continue providing Ukraine with the forces they require — the weapons and equipment they require — to defend their country," Biden said from the White House.

With the release of artillery and armored vehicles last week, the US military assistance is now "responsive to Ukraine's needs and tailored to support the intensified fighting in the Donbas region, which is a different war than in other places due to its topography." It's flat, not in the mountains, and it necessitates using other types of armaments," Biden explained.

It currently requires bespoke armament systems built in the United States with cooperation from Ukraine, namely the Phoenix Ghost drone.