Among all the weapons made available to kyiv by its Western allies, one drone model played an essential role: the Phoenix Ghost, designed in record time at the very beginning of the conflict and used en masse in the face of Russia’s offensives. However, the information around this weapon, mentioned for the first time by the American Department of Defense in April 2022, is rare: here is what you need to know about the remotely piloted machine, whose production site has recently visited by Forbes.
A drone designed in secret
The program surrounding this kamikaze drone was voluntarily kept in the greatest secrecy by the American authorities and the kyiv forces employing it. However, it occupies a central place in the Ukrainian army: according to its manufacturer Aevex Aerospace, more than 5,000 models of Phoenix Ghost have been delivered to kyiv, more than any other American drone, according to Forbes.
Ukraine – Russia: military planes of the war
The Phoenix Ghost finds its origin in a pressing request from the American Department of Defense in early 2022: according to Aevex employee James Sturim, it was a question of finding a way to “produce a system that will reduce the movements of a large armed organization”. While the fate of Ukraine is still uncertain, Aevex Aerospace, which has never designed drones, is working on producing a machine capable of meeting the demand of the American army.
Brian Raduenz, boss of Aevex, is not a neophyte in terms of remotely piloted machines: the latter is one of the designers of the Predator weapons program, an American military drone used extensively in Afghanistan and Iraq . By combining with producer Tribe Aerospace, specialized in the low-cost reproduction of enemy drones, the American company quickly implemented its plan: using foreign designs to design its model in record time.
A vital model for the Ukrainian army
This is how the Phoenix Ghost came to be, following Tribe Aerospace’s attempt to arm a “Dagger”, a drone model designed based on an enemy drone that crashed into an American military base . With a production capacity of 20 drones per month at the start of 2022 in Tampa, Florida, Aevex’s resources have exploded with the help of funding from the American government and equipment provided by the American army, to reach 330 Phoenix Ghosts produced in November.
At $49,000 each, this model has all the advantages of the kamikaze drones used in Ukraine: their low cost and mass use allow them to reach their target or force the adversary to spend costly anti-aircraft munitions to stop them.
The crucial role of the Phoenix Ghost has diminished, however, since the early months of the conflict, as Ukraine has established a robust domestic industry capable of mass-producing similar models. Aevex has since refocused on longer-range models, such as the Disruptor, or the Dominator, a drone capable of carrying a larger explosive charge or carrying surveillance equipment.
According to Raduenz himself, the end of American aid to Ukraine would not sign the death warrant for his company: between sales abroad and the usefulness of its models in a hypothetical conflict against Beijing, the objective of Aevex is now to establish itself as a leading producer of drones for the American armed forces.
