The United States is expected to announce Wednesday that it will provide Ukraine with Patriot missile defense systems and precision bomb kits, according to U.S. officials.
The inclusion of both weapons systems in the new U.S. military aid package is important because it provides Ukraine with advanced systems to protect cities from Russian airstrikes and gives the air force new strike capabilities.
The US has provided Ukraine with more than $19 billion of her military aid since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began in late February.
The transfer of advanced air defense systems has been demanded by Ukrainian officials since shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine in late February. It can target ballistic and cruise missiles, manned and unmanned aircraft, with ranges up to 100 miles, depending on the systems that may be delivered to Ukraine.
But U.S. officials weren't open to that possibility until recently. Amid concerns about how Russia would respond to its presence in Ukraine and what could be learned about missile technology if the missile or its components fell into Russian hands.
The aid package also includes a JDAM (Joint Direct Attack Munitions) kit that transforms "dumb" bombs into precision-guided weapons that use GPS coordinates to attack targets. A "dumb bomb" is an unguided gravity bomb that is dropped directly above the target and is notoriously inaccurate.
U.S. officials believe the Ukrainian military training program in Germany could begin in the weeks after the Patriot transfer is approved. But any training program must be much shorter than the training of American military personnel, which requires at least five months of training followed by advanced training.
A typical Patriot battery includes a radar system, a power generator, and a command and control station connected to multiple launch stations. A sophisticated radar system allows him to hit eight targets at once.
The U.S. and its partners resupply Ukraine's Soviet-era S-300 air defense missiles, and Western air defenses such as the jointly-manufactured U.S.-Norwegian Stinger shoulder-launched missiles and other major air defense systems such as her NASAM. provided the system. But it is the Patriot missiles that Ukrainians have continued to focus on, especially after Russia began using missiles and one-way drone barrages that targeted Ukrainian civilian infrastructure and caused blackouts in much of the country. .
In response to news that the United States is likely to provide the Patriot air defense missile system to Ukraine, a senior Ukrainian defense official told ABC News they would be a "game changer," calling it "one of the best systems in the world." The official added that Ukraine's access to missiles "dramatically increases its ability to defend its skies against Russian aggression."
Even with the accelerated training program, he could be early 2023 before the Patriot system becomes operational in Ukraine.
The JDAM kit includes devices that attach to the front and rear of the bomb to use GPS coordinates to guide the bomb to a precise target.
The Ukrainian Air Force has conducted limited flight operations during his 10-month war, and bomb kits will likely bring new strike capabilities.
Ukraine wants US new capabilities to fight Iranian drones
ABC News has received a letter sent by senior Ukrainian officials to senior members of parliament calling for additional air defense systems to counter attack drones built and supplied by Iran to support Russia's war effort. I urged him to support the request.
Russia has used Iranian-made drones that explode on impact to attack power plants in recent weeks, killing civilians and causing blackouts that plunge millions of Ukrainian homes into darkness, leading to deadly attacks. launched a wave.
In the letter, Ukrainian parliamentary speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk said it would help protect "important objects, especially important power plants", and a highly mobile air defense system known as C-RAM. asked the United States to provide it to Ukraine.
You must be logged in to post a comment.