The US is preparing more than $2bn in military help for Ukraine, including longer-range rockets for the first time, according to two US sources informed on the proposal. Officials indicated Wednesday that the help will be disclosed this week. They said that Patriot air defense systems, precision-guided bombs, and Javelin anti-tank weaponry support equipment are expected. One insider claimed a portion of the package, anticipated to be $1.725bn, would come through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), which permits President Joe Biden’s administration to buy weapons from industry instead of US arms stocks.
The 150km-range Ground Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB) would be purchased with USAI funding (94 miles). The 300-km (185-mile) ATACMS missile has been denied to Ukraine by the US. The GLSDB glide bomb’s extended range might help Ukraine continue its counterattacks by disturbing Russia farther behind its lines. According to SAAB, the Swedish corporation that produces the weapon alongside Boeing, the GLSDB is GPS-guided, can bypass some electronic jamming, is useful in any weather, and can be used against armored vehicles. The GLSDB’s warhead, the GBU-39 bomb, can glide more than 100km (60 miles) if dropped from an Aeroplan and attack objects as tiny as 1 meter (3 feet) in diameter. One insider stated the USAI funding will also be used to buy additional HAWK air defense components, counter-drone systems, counter artillery and air observation radars, communications equipment, PUMA drones, and Patriot and Bradley spare parts. The official claimed that another ally was donating enough medical equipment to outfit three field hospitals. No comment from the White House.
Before the president signs them, aid packages can alter. Presidential Drawdown Authority funds, which allow the president to draw from US equities in an emergency, were projected to provide more than $400m in relief. The help was supposed to include MRAPs, GMLRS, and ammo. Since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2018, the US has provided $27.2bn in security aid. The invasion is a “special operation” for Russia.
