What Are ‘Hazard’ Stealth Drones? Ukraine Receives New Equipment From US

Ukraine’s military intelligence has received new stealth drones from a U.S. company as Kyiv braces for the return of military aid-sceptic, President-elect Donald Trump, to office later this month. Why It Matters Ukraine is reliant on Western military aid to fight Russia’s invasion, of which Washington provides more than half committed by governments. Reports have suggested Trump intends to maintain the flow of military aid to Ukraine, but he has also pledged to end Europe’s largest land conflict since World War II in just a day, once he returns to office. Newsweek has reached out to Trump’s transition team via email for comment. Photos shared by Ukraine’s GUR military intelligence agency showing a new drone system named “Hazard.” The intelligence agency said it had “received New Year’s gifts” from a U.S.-based charity, Help Heroes of Ukraine, in the… Photos shared by Ukraine’s GUR military intelligence agency showing a new drone system named “Hazard.” The intelligence agency said it had “received New Year’s gifts” from a U.S.-based charity, Help Heroes of Ukraine, in the form of the Hazard system and a new Humvee. Ukraine GUR What To Know Kyiv’s GUR spy agency said on Wednesday it had received “received New Year’s gifts” in the form of a “unique” drone system named Hazard and a High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, colloquially known as a Humvee, from U.S.-based charity, Help Heroes of Ukraine. Newsweek has reached out for comment via email to the GUR and Help Heroes of Ukraine. The charity said in a separate statement the donation of the Hazard and the vehicle was the result of a “major fundraiser” for Ukrainian military intelligence. Ukraine’s GUR shared photos on Wednesday, showing members of the military spy agency, including its chief, Kyrylo Budanov, with at least one “Hazard” stealth drone in an unspecified location. The photos show a fixed-wing drone on the launch system. Help Heroes of Ukraine separately shared the same images, geotagged at the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. The GUR called the UAV the “latest high-speed stealth drone,” with 10 explosive drones linked to a launch system and a control panel. The agency said the drone was made of “composite materials” which help hide it from electronic warfare equipment. The Pentagon has furnished Ukraine with different types of drones, including Switchblade loitering munitions. However, analysts and fighters on the ground say domestically-made cheap drones fare better on the battlefield—up against intense electronic warfare—than expensive Western uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs). Many drones already in Ukraine, operated by both Moscow and Kyiv, have been adapted throughout the conflict to make it harder for the enemy forces to shoot down. Ukraine has said Russia incorporated radar-absorbent carbon material into its infamous Shahed drones, designed by Iran and used extensively against Ukrainian cities since the early months of the war, to make the UAVs more stealthy. The Hazard drone is “silent” when flying, meaning it is hard to hear its approach, according to the GUR. “Depending on the mission, the drones can be equipped with warheads of varying power to destroy enemy ground targets,” the agency said. The U.S. government unveiled on Monday a fresh security package for Ukraine, worth in the region of $2.5 billion. This aid partly comes from the Presidential Drawdown Authority package, the Department of Defense said, which pulls from current military stocks for a quicker delivery to Ukrainian forces. Roughly $1.22 billion of the new aid is pulled from the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI). U.S. President Joe Biden said in a statement that the Pentagon had now used up all the funds approved by Congress last April. Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said drones would feature in the tranche of aid but did not specify which types of UAVs would be delivered to Ukraine. Biden said he had directed administration officials continue rushing “as much assistance to Ukraine as quickly as possible,” including from older stocks of U.S. military equipment and prodding the U.S. defense industry to backfill American stocks with more modern equipment. The Pentagon is currently delivering “hundreds of thousands” of artillery rounds, thousands of rockets, and hundreds of armored vehicles, Biden said. “At my direction, the United States will continue to work relentlessly to strengthen Ukraine’s position in this war over the remainder of my time in office,” the president said. What Happens Next? The U.S. will continue delivering aid in the coming weeks, although it is still not clear how President-elect Trump will handle support for Kyiv once he is back in the Oval Office. Charities may come to play a more important role in providing supplies to Ukraine, although there are still pressing questions over whether Trump could force a ceasefire deal or peace settlement early on in his presidency.