According to a Pentagon spokeswoman, the new Phoenix Ghost drone system was built to fulfil Ukrainian demands. According to them, the new US aid package for Ukraine includes more than 121 Phoenix Ghost systems.

In off-camera statements to reporters. Pentagon press secretary John Kirby stated, “This was hastily designed by the Air Force in response directly to Ukrainian requirements.”

“It has capabilities that are close to but not identical to the Switchblade line of unmanned systems,” Kirby added. “For the Phoenix Ghost, there are variances in the breadth of capacity.”

Kirby, on the other hand, refused to explain what the capabilities of the Switchblade and Phoenix Ghost systems are.

Kirby also stated that the new system will need “some minimum training for knowledgeable UAS operators,” which the US Defense Department is “working through” with the Ukrainian military.

Furthermore, Kirby stated that the howitzers included in the new aid package, which will be used to equip five additional Ukrainian battalions, are being provided in response to Ukrainian needs for fighting in the Donbas region, which the department expects to continue “over the coming days and weeks.”