New Pentagon Ukraine Aid Contains Massive Air-Defense Support

By Olawale Abaire, Warrior Editorial Fellow

The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has recently unveiled plans to bolster Ukraine’s defense capabilities amidst escalating tensions. This move marks the 57th instance since August 2021 when the Biden Administration allocated equipment from DoD inventories to aid Ukraine.

The package, authorized under the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA), is valued at an estimated $400 million. It comprises a range of capabilities tailored to address Ukraine’s immediate battlefield necessities, including air defense, artillery rounds, armored vehicles, and anti-tank weapons.

This new package aims to address Ukraine’s pressing defense needs, particularly in air defense, artillery ammunition, armored vehicles, and anti-tank weaponry.

The specifics of this assistance package include:

• Patriot air defense systems: The package includes additional munitions to enhance the effectiveness of these systems.
• National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS): Additional munitions for these systems are also part of the package.
• Stinger anti-aircraft missiles
• Integration equipment: The package provides equipment to integrate Western launchers, missiles, and radars with Ukraine’s existing systems.
• High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS): Additional HIMARS and ammunition are included to enhance artillery capabilities.
• Artillery rounds
• Armored vehicles
• Heavy equipment transport
• Anti-tank weapons: Tube-launched, optically-tracked, wire-guided (TOW) missiles, and Javelin and AT-4 anti-armor systems are part of the package.
• Aerial munitions
• Anti-radiation missiles
• Small arms and ammunition
• Demolition equipment
• Patrol boats
• Ancillary equipment: Spare parts, training munitions, maintenance equipment, and other ancillary equipment are part of the package.

The M113 armored personnel carrier, a key component of the Armed Forces, is part of this package. The International MaxxPro MRAP, a staple of the Ukrainian military, is also included in the aid package.

Notably, the package includes components for integrating launchers, missiles, and radars with Ukraine’s air defense systems, a project known as FrankenSAM.