On July 8, 2022, the US Department of Defense announced the provision of another new package of military assistance to Ukraine totaling $ 400 million. Thus, 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 $7.27 billion. The total amount of US military aid to Ukraine since 2014 has reached $9.2 billion.
American 155-mm correctable active-rocket projectile M982A1 Excalibur Increment Ib (DA58) in preparation for firing during tests of the promising 155-mm/58 long-range self-propelled howitzer HM1299 ERCA at the Yuma (Arizona) training ground, 12/19/2021 (c) Ana Henderson / US Army
According to the US Department of Defense, the new package of military assistance to Ukraine is allocated by the orders of the US President within his administrative powers (Presidential Drawdown of Security Assistance - PDA) and represents an operational allocation of property from the presence of the US Department of Defense.
According to official data, the new package includes:
- four more combat vehicles of the M142 HIMARS missile system (in addition to the eight previously announced by the transfer) and an additional amount of ammunition for them;
- three repair evacuation vehicles [possibly M1249] (in addition to the four allocated earlier);
- 1000 unnamed high-precision artillery shots of 155 mm caliber;
- explosive charges;
- an unspecified number of radar detection of artillery positions of an unnamed type;
- spare parts and other property.
From this list, the greatest resonance was caused by the provision of high-precision artillery shots of 155 mm caliber to Ukraine for the first time by the United States. At a briefing at the Pentagon on July 8, a senior representative of the US Department of Defense refused to say whether these shells are 155-mm M982 Excalibur active-rocket rounds or high-precision M1156 PGK sets for 155-mm shells, but confirmed that these shots are already in service with the US army. Most observers tend to believe that we are talking about the M982 Excalibur shots.
Earlier, according to Canadian media, on April 22, the Canadian government announced its intention to transfer to Ukraine an unnamed number of M982 Excalibur shells from the presence of the Canadian army. According to a number of assumptions, unknown 155-mm high-precision artillery ammunition has been used by the Ukrainian side in combat operations since the end of May.
As for the transfer of an additional four combat vehicles of the M142 HIMARS missile system announced in the new package of American military assistance to Ukraine, this brings the total number of HIMARS combat vehicles transferred to Ukraine to 12. At a briefing on July 8, a senior representative of the US Department of Defense said that the previously allocated eight HIMARS combat vehicles had already been transferred to Ukraine, although it had previously been stated that the second "four" vehicles would be delivered "in mid-July." The first four transferred HIMARS combat vehicles with high-precision GMLRS missiles, according to known data, have been used by the Ukrainian side in combat operations since about June 23.
Also, the specified representative of the US Department of Defense on July 8 denied data on any destruction of HIMARS combat vehicles in Ukraine, also stating that "I can clarify and refute that they [the Russians] did not damage HIMARS."
