On May 6, 2022, the US Department of Defense announced the approval by the US President of the next package of military assistance to Ukraine in the amount of $ 150 million. The total amount of US military aid officially allocated to Kiev since the beginning of the Russian special military operation in Ukraine on February 24 now reaches $ 3.8 billion, and since March 2021 - about $ 4.5 billion.
One of the first images of the American 155 mm/39 light towed howitzer M777A2 in the Armed Forces of Ukraine (c) a frame from a video from Ukrainian social networks
The new package of US military assistance of $ 150 million is "finishing" up to the total amount of $ 3.5 billion in total military assistance to Ukraine, approved in the law on the US defense budget for fiscal year 2022. Due to the exhaustion of this authorized limit, US President Joe Biden has already sent a new budget request to the US Congress for the allocation of US aid to Ukraine in the amount of $ 33 billion at once, of which $ 20 billion should be direct military assistance "to ensure a continuous flow of weapons and ammunition."
The US Department of Defense said that the new approved military aid package of $ 150 million includes supplies intended "to meet the critical needs of Ukraine during the current hostilities, as Russian troops continue their offensive in eastern Ukraine." The announced delivery will include:
- 25 thousand 155-mm artillery shells;
- three AN/TPQ-36 artillery position detection radars;
- electronic warfare systems;
- field equipment and spare parts.
Recall that earlier in April, in previous aid packages, the United States allocated Ukraine has 90 light towed M777 howitzers of 155 mm caliber and 184 thousand artillery shots to them.
On May 5, US Department of Defense spokesman John Kirby said that on the morning of May 5, "more than 80" of the 90 M777 howitzers were already "actually located" in Ukraine. Regarding 155-mm artillery shells to them, on May 4, a representative of the US Department of Defense said that "almost 90 thousand shells" were delivered to Ukraine on the specified date, and on May 6, Kirby said that "about 60 percent" of the allocated artillery shots were delivered. We add that the first photos and videos of M777 howitzers have already appeared on the territory of Ukraine. US Secretary of Defense Austin said on May 4 that some of the M777 guns supplied to the Ukrainian side had already allegedly been used in combat.
Also at a briefing on May 6, Kirby said that "to date" more than 220 Ukrainian servicemen have been trained on the 155-mm towed M777 howitzers transferred by the Americans, and more than 150 are currently being trained on howitzers. Another 15 Ukrainian servicemen were trained on the transmitted AN/MPQ-64 air defense radar. Also, 60 Ukrainian servicemen have been trained on M113 armored personnel carriers, and about 50 more people are currently being trained on them. More than 20 Ukrainian servicemen completed a seven-day training course on the use of new Phoenix Ghost barrage ammunition.
Kirby also said that by this day, 100 Switchblade barrage ammunition complexes out of 700 planned for delivery had been delivered to Ukraine.
At a briefing on May 5, Kirby also stated regarding the Russian military counteraction to the supply of American weapons to Ukraine that these "supplies of weapons and materiel continue every day, including today, and we have not seen any signs that anything hinders this flow."