(The Hill) — The Biden administration has committed nearly $13 billion worth of military assistance to Ukraine since Russia invaded six months ago.
The scope and power of those weapons have increased over time, with Ukrainian officials arguing that firepower is crucial to defend not only their country, but democracy worldwide.
“Finally it is felt that the Western artillery — the weapons we received from our partners — started working very powerfully,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said last month.
On Wednesday, the United States greenlighted another military assistance package to Ukraine, preparing to send nearly $3 billion in arms and equipment to meet Kyiv’s medium- and long-term needs as it beats back Russia’s military.
Major weapons
- High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and ammunition
- The U.S. has committed 16 HIMARS since late May. It is a lighter-wheeled system that can allow Ukrainians to hit Russian targets within Ukraine from further distances.
- 1,500 Tube-Launched, Optically-Tracked, Wire-Guided (TOW) missiles
- Manufactured by Raytheon, the TOW missiles are long-range precision, anti-tank and assault weapons that can hit targets up to 4,500 meters away.
- 155mm Howitzers
- A towed field artillery piece that can hit targets up to 30 km, or 18 miles away. The U.S. has sent 126 of these howitzers, along with 806,000 155mm artillery rounds and 126 tactical vehicles to tow the howitzers.
- 105mm Howitzers
- The U.S. committed to sending 16 105mm howitzers and 108,000 105mm artillery rounds to go with the howitzers. The United Kingdom has already provided the L119 model, which is a lightweight howitzer that can provide direct fire support at armored vehicles or buildings or indirect fire to support combat arms in ranges over 10 km, or 6 miles.
- 120mm mortar systems
- The U.S. Army uses three versions of the 120mm mortar systems, but they are designed to provide close-range, quick-response indirect fire during tactical combat. The U.S. has sent 20 of these systems, as well as 85,000 rounds of 120mm mortar ammunition.
- National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS);
- The National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System, also known as the Norwegian Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System, are advanced air-defense systems that can hit targets up to 100 miles away. The U.S. has committed to sending eight NSAMS, along with munitions for the systems.
- Phoenix Ghost Tactical Unmanned Aerial Systems
- The U.S. has committed approximately 700 Phoenix ‘Ghost’ drones to Ukraine between April and July. The systems, made by AEVEX Aerospace, are designed to attack targets.
- Switchblade Tactical Unmanned Aerial Systems
- The U.S. has sent over 700 Switchblade drones to Ukraine since March. There are two types of Switchblade drones and the U.S. has sent both, those its unclear how many of each type Washington has sent.
- The Switchblade 300 weighs about five pounds and can fly roughly 6 miles, and is intended to target personnel and light vehicles. However, the Switchblade 600 can fly more than 24 miles and can stay in the air for 40 minutes.
- Puma unmanned aerial systems
- The Pentagon awarded AeroVironment $19.7 million in April to produce the Puma AE RQ-20 system for Ukraine. Designed for reconnaissance and surveillance, it has a range of 20 km, or about 12 miles, and has over three hours of flight endurance.
- Mi-17 helicopters
- The U.S. has provided 20 of the Soviet-era transport helicopters that can also be used as a helicopter gunship. Can carry as many as 30 passengers or 9,000 pounds of cargo
- Harpoon coastal defense systems
- The U.S. announced in June that it would provide two vehicle-mounted Harpoon systems, which are intended for coastal defense. The U.S. said in June that it would provide the launchers, while allies and partners would provide the missiles.
- Scan Eagle Unmanned Aerial Systems
- The U.S. sent 15 Scan Eagle systems as part of its Aug. 19 package to Ukraine for reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition. These systems are just under four feet in length and have an altitude of 16,000 feet above ground level. The Aug. 24 weapons package included support equipment for these systems.
- VAMPIRE Counter-unmanned aerial systems
- The U.S. first committed to providing the VAMPIRE system in its $2.98 billion weapons package announced on Aug. 24. Colin Kahl, the Pentagon’s top policy official, said the VAMPIRE uses small missiles to shoot drones out of the sky.
- Stinger anti-aircraft systems
- The U.S. has provided over 1,400 Stinger anti-aircraft missiles. The Stinger has a range of 5 miles and can attack targets up to 15,000 feet.
- Javelin anti-armor systems
- The U.S. has provided over 8,500 Javelin surface-to-air missiles. Javelin is a portable anti-tank system that can hit targets from 65 meters to 4,000 meters away in most operational circumstances.
- High Speed, Anti-Radiation Missiles
- The Aug. 19 weapons package included an undisclosed amount of High-speed Anti-radiation (HARM) missiles. The Pentagon first disclosed in early August that it has sent these missiles, but didn’t specify which kind or how many. However, CNN reported that the U.S. has sent the AGM-88 HARM, an air-to-surface tactical missile that has a range of at least 30 miles, and is designed to find and destroy radar-equipped air defense systems.
- Over 27,000 other anti-armor systems
Other equipment and small arms
Radars
- 50 counter-artillery radars
- Four counter-mortar radars
- Four air surveillance radars
- Counter-battery radar systems
Vehicles/Boats
- Four Command Post vehicles
- Unmanned Coastal Defense Vessels
- Hundreds of Armored High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles
- 50 armored medical treatment vehicles
- 200 M113 Armored Personnel Carriers
- 18 coastal and riverine patrol boats
- 40 MaxxPro Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles with mine rollers
Explosives, Small Arms, Ammunition, Munitions
- M18A1 Claymore anti-personnel munitions (command-detonated fixed-direction fragmentation weapon for use against personnel)
- C-4 explosives, demolition munitions, and demolition equipment
- Over 10,000 Grenade launchers and small arms
- Over 59,000, 000 Small arms ammunition
Equipment
- 75,000 sets of body armor and helmets
- 22 Tactical Vehicles to recover equipment
- Laser-guided rocket systems
- Tactical secure communications systems
- Night vision devices, thermal imagery systems, optics, and laser rangefinders
- Commercial satellite imagery services
- Explosive ordnance disposal protective gear
- Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear protective equipment
- Medical supplies
- Electronic jamming equipment
- Field equipment and spare parts
- Funding for training, maintenance, and sustainment
- Mine clearing equipment and systems
Sources:
Fact Sheet on U.S. Security Assistance to Ukraine – Aug. 24 (DOD)
Sources: $1 Billion in Additional Security Assistance for Ukraine – Aug. 8 (DOD)
Fact Sheet on U.S. Security Assistance to Ukraine – Aug. 8 (DOD)
Pentagon confirms anti-radiation missiles sent to Ukraine – Aug. 9 (The Hill)