US President Joe Biden has officially announced a new military aid package for Ukraine that will include extended-range M142 HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems. The MLRS will be Kiev’s longest-range weapon.
“Today I am announcing a major new security aid package to provide timely and necessary assistance to the Ukrainian military. With the additional funding for Ukraine approved by Congress with overwhelming bipartisan support, the US is in a position to continue sending more weapons to Ukraine. Declaration Biden.
“The new package will provide new capabilities and advanced weapons, including HIMARS with ammunition,” the American leader said. The United States will continue to support Ukrainian partners and provide weapons and equipment for the needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the President of the country promised.
US Deputy Secretary of Defense Colin Kahl noted that the country has sufficient stocks for such systems and may increase supply in the future.
“In the first tranche of HIMARS systems, we have four troops already deployed in the area so we can transfer them quickly,” he said. In three weeks, Ukrainian military personnel will be trained, then another two weeks – service training will be given to HIMARS.
Kahl stated that once they enter the battlefield, HIMARS will maintain their “suitability” given the evolution of the situation. He added that the United States has taken steps to avoid a conflict with the Russian Federation. In addition, Washington has received promises from Ukrainian authorities, including President Volodymyr Zelensky himself, not to use HIMARS to hit targets on Russian soil.
“We are not interested in seeing the conflict in Ukraine expand or escalate into World War III. We take this into account. But at the same time, Russia does not have the right to veto what we send to the Ukrainians. The Ukrainians did not start this war. Russia did it” (quoted by RIA Novosti).
Types and amounts of aid
As stated by the Pentagon, the new military aid package includes MLRS and ammunition, as well as four Mi-17 helicopters, a thousand Javelin missiles, 15 tactical vehicles, five artillery radars, two air surveillance radars, 6,000 anti-anti-guns. tank guns and 15,000 tank, 155 mm caliber artillery shells.
The total volume of the new package is estimated at $700 million.
Since the start of the Russian special operation, the United States has provided Ukraine $4.6 billion in aid, and a total of $7.3 billion since 2014, according to Deputy Secretary of Defense Todd Brissil.
“Don’t take the war to Russia”
President Volodymyr Zelensky said the previous day that he “did not turn the war over to Russia” and that the MLRS would be used by the Ukrainians to repel the attack of Russian troops. In response, the Kremlin stressed that they do not trust the words of the Ukrainian leader. “To be trustworthy, it is necessary to have experience in situations where relevant promises are kept. But there is no such experience, ”said Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation.
The supply of HIMARS missile systems was the main request of the Ukrainian authorities, since, according to Kiev, the systems will help deter the advance of Russian troops in the east.
M142 HIMARS is a universal launcher capable of carrying six 240 mm caliber rockets or one ATACMS operational-tactical missile. Projectiles can hit targets at a distance of up to 80 kilometers.
“For HIMARS, there is worthy opposition from Russian missile defense systems, which successfully hit the Tochka-U missiles that launched the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Even complexes such as the S-300 can cope with HIMARS, not to mention the S-400 and S-500, ”military expert Vladislav Shurygin told socialbites.ca.
Earlier, Washington sent 24,000 anti-tank systems, 1,033 air defense systems, 1,468 missiles, 90 artillery systems, nine helicopters, 33 radars and 7,888 small arms to Kiev. In addition, the Ukrainian army received 68,000 body armor and about 49,000 helmets.