By Paul Lushenko, Sarah Kreps
Drones are at the forefront of the conflict in Ukraine. Initially, Ukraine capitalized on the Turkish-manufactured TB2 Bayraktar drone to help disrupt Russia’s invasion, including by sinking the Moskva, Russia’s acclaimed guided missile cruiser. In the second half of 2022, Ukraine took the unprecedented step of building an “army of drones” to consolidate earlier gains, incorporating both smaller, tactical drones as well as civilian drones modified for military use. At the same time, the United States has sent over 1,000 “kamikaze” Switchblade drones, sometimes referred to as “loitering munitions,” to Ukraine as part of its security assistance packages worth $40 billion. In the midst of the ongoing war, Ukrainian officials requested that the United States provide more advanced drones. However, U.S. policymakers were reluctant to do so.
Why is that? A majority of Americans are in favor of sending military aid to Ukraine. Therefore, U.S. officials should send advanced drones such as the MQ-9, a long-lasting, high-altitude, surveillance drone. Indeed, research shows that “U.S. The polling data is used by officials to boost…
