US approves new $800 million arms transfer package to Ukraine
Switchblade loitering munitions are included in the new US military aid package to Ukraine (Photo: USMC)
Switchblade loitering munitions, Mi-17 helicopters and additional Javelin missiles are among a host of weapons and equipment to be provided by the US to Ukraine in a new military aid package.
The US DoD has cleared a new $800 million military aid package for Ukraine that includes a wide range of air, land and sea based equipment.
A detailed list of items to be transferred to Kyiv was shared by the department in a 13 April statement and includes 500 Javelin missiles and other anti-armour systems; 300 Switchblade loitering munitions; 200 M113 APCs; 100 Armoured High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles; 18 155mm Howitzers and 40,000 artillery rounds; 11 Mi-17 helicopters; Ten AN/TPQ-36 counter-artillery radars; Two AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel air surveillance radars; unmanned coastal defence vessels; M18A1 Claymore anti-personnel munitions; C-4 explosives and over 2000 optics and laser rangefinders.
Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) protective equipment and 30,000 sets of body armour and helmets will also be supplied under the latest round of supplies.
The new package is the 'seventh drawdown of equipment from DoD inventories' to Ukraine since August 2021, according to the department.
Overall, the US has committed approximately $2.6 billion in military assistance to the war ravaged country since the Russian invasion started on 24 February.
'Russia is repositioning its forces for renewed attacks in eastern and southern Ukraine,' said Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State. 'The United States, its Allies and partners must take action now to surge additional military assistance as Ukraine prepares for the next phase in the fight for its freedom and its very future.'
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