Long-range rockets for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS missile launchers, that the United States has delivered for Ukraine stand out in the material.
Washington: US Vice President Joe Biden’s administration has announced a new $2.2 billion tranche of security aid for Ukraine.
According to a statement from the Defense Department, the most recent tranche was split into two parts: $425 million under the Presidential Drawdown Authority and $1.75 billion from the congressionally approved Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative.
Long-range rockets for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS missile launchers, that the United States has delivered for Ukraine stand out in the material.
The new rockets, GPS-guided Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bombs (GLSDB), have a range of around 90 miles, more than double that of the earlier HIMARS-compatible US missiles, which have a range of about 40 miles.
The GLSDB’s range, however, is less than that of the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS), which Ukraine has long coveted but which the US has rejected because of concern that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine may worsen. The ATACMS has a nearly 200-mile operating range.
The GLSDB, two HAWK air defence fire units, and unnamed “equipment to integrate Western air defence launchers, missiles, and radars with Ukraine’s air defence systems” would all be provided by the US government through contracts with arms producers. That indicates that it will be some months before these weapons are really delivered.
According to the Pentagon’s statement, the US has provided Ukraine with security support totaling more than $29.3 billion since the Russia-Ukraine conflict first flared up about a year ago.
