As expected, during the visit of President Zelensky to the USA, the Pentagon announced the composition of the next military aid package for Ukraine. Finally air defense systems MIM-104 Patriot and many other useful things worth $1.85 billion.
Conditionally, the aid package is divided into two parts. $1 billion was allocated within the framework of the powers of US President Joe Biden by his decree. Another $850 million comes from the US Department of Defense as part of the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI).
The first package includes:
- one MIM-104 Patriot air defense system battery with missiles for it;
- 120 HMMWV;
- 37 Cougar MRAP armored vehicles;
- 6 armored trucks;
- additional ammunition for HIMARS;
- 500 high-precision shells of 155 mm caliber;
- 10 120 mm caliber mortars and 10,000 mines for them;
- 10 82 mm caliber mortars;
- 10 60 mm caliber mortars;
- anti-radar missiles AGM-88 HARM ;
- JDAM high-precision aerial bombs;
- over 2,700 grenade launchers and small arms;
- anti-personnel mines;
- explosives and equipment;
- night vision devices and optics;
- secured tactical level communication systems;
- body armor and other equipment.
The second package contains:
- 45,000 shells of 152 mm caliber;
- 20,000 shells of 122 mm caliber;
- 50,000 rockets of 122 mm caliber for BM-21 Grad systems;
- 100,000 125 mm tank ammunition;
- terminals and satellite communication services;
- financing of training and maintenance.
Note that this is specifically the MIM-104 Patriot battery, which is usually six launchers. If this is the PAC-3 MSE version that the US Army has been receiving since 2015, then each launcher contains 4 launch containers with 4 missiles each. That is, 16 missiles per launcher and… impressive 96 anti-aircraft missiles in a combined round! Of course, you don’t scatter launchers all over Ukraine, but this is a very serious upgrade of our air defense system.
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