Phoenix Ghost

Phoenix Ghost overview

Phoenix Ghost is the U.S. designation publicly used for a loitering munition supplied to Ukraine in 2022. The Pentagon described it as a system selected for Ukrainian requirements, and public reporting associates it with tactical strike missions in which the aircraft can search or wait before attacking. It is not equivalent to a conventional reusable ISR drone, and it should not be described as a single fully disclosed airframe family without qualification.

AEVEX Aerospace is widely identified in defense reporting as the developer or supplier, but the U.S. government has not released a complete public technical data sheet. Dimensions, speed, range, endurance, ceiling, launcher, seeker, datalink, payload, and warhead remain Not publicly disclosed. The supplied artwork represents the broader Disruptor family and is catalog illustration, not proof that every Phoenix Ghost configuration has the same shape or performance.

The United States announced Phoenix Ghost in an April 2022 security-assistance package, and Ukraine is the documented recipient and reported combat user. Through September 12, 2026, procurement quantities, production status, the precise relationship among Disruptor-family names, and any export customer beyond Ukraine remain incompletely public. The strongest comparison points are its documented assistance history and loitering-munition mission, not unsupported performance numbers.

Armament

Integral precision-strike payload; warhead and effect not publicly disclosed

Development and operational timeline

1. Apr 2022U.S. Department of Defense announces Phoenix Ghost loitering munitions in a Ukraine security-assistance package
2. May 2022U.S. officials publicly describe Phoenix Ghost as selected for Ukrainian battlefield requirements
3. Jan 2023AEVEX Aerospace is identified in defense reporting as associated with the system's development or supply
4. Jun 2024Disruptor-family references continue in public reporting, without a released Phoenix Ghost technical data sheet
5. Sep 2026Ukraine remains the publicly documented recipient; variant boundaries and performance remain partly classified or undisclosed