New Year’s gifts from the Pentagon: a battery of Patriot air defense systems, 120 HMMWVs, 37 Cougar MRAPs, missiles for HIMARS, shells for howitzers and more

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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