The new package of US military assistance to Ukraine includes tanks, armored boats and attack drones The Pentagon and the Dutch Defense Ministry announced a new package of military assistance to Ukraine - for $ 400 million and € 120 million.
It will include 250 M1117 armored personnel carriers, 40 armored boats, more than a thousand Phoenix Ghost drones, as well as 90 T-72 tanks. Some of the weapons will arrive in Ukraine by the end of December, Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said. What weapons will be received by the armed forces of Ukraine - in the material of "Gazeta.Ru".
Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh announced a new $400 million package of military assistance to Ukraine.
"The Ministry announces additional assistance to ensure security in Ukraine in the amount of about $ 400 million," she said.
Singh noted that the assistance is provided within the framework of the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), which involves the conclusion by the Ministry of relevant contracts with manufacturers, and not the provision of equipment and funds directly from the Pentagon reserves.
When asked by a journalist about the possibility of transferring tanks produced in the USA, Singh answered in the negative. According to her, Ukraine will receive T-72 tanks, which were jointly upgraded by the Czech Republic, the United States and the Netherlands. According to her, this will be the first time when Washington will have to pay for the tanks supplied to Kiev. They will be sent from Czech military bases.
The Ministry of Defense of the Netherlands also announced the allocation of military assistance to Ukraine, its volume will amount to € 120 million. "Of these, €45 million are intended for T-72 tanks," they noted. Amsterdam will transfer 45 T-72s to Kiev. The nomenclature of other weapons that the Netherlands will supply is not specified.
The T-72 is a Soviet main medium tank. In various modifications, it is in service with the Armed Forces of Russia and CIS countries, was exported to the Warsaw Pact states, Finland, India, Iran, Iraq, Syria. Modifications of the T-72 were produced under license in Yugoslavia (M-84), Poland (PT-91), Czechoslovakia (T-72M4) and India, which exported them. It is also in service with Ukraine (T-72 UA, T-72 UA1, T-72UA4).
The Czech modification of the T-72M4 is still in use. The engine power is 1000 hp, the maximum speed is 61 km / h, the weight is 48 tons. The crew consists of 3 people. The tank is armed with a 125 mm 2A46M cannon for APFSDS armor-piercing projectile and NSVT and PKT machine guns. The DYNA-72 dynamic protection is installed on the machine, which provides protection against cumulative ammunition, as well as the Czech-Israeli electromagnetic TRALL system for combating magnetic mines. In addition, the tank uses an Israeli power plant instead of the Soviet one, as well as a GPS navigation system and an automatic system for diagnosing the condition of the tank systems.
Air defense systems
Pentagon spokeswoman Singh also noted that the funds will be used to "upgrade Hawk air defense systems."
The MIM-23 Hawk (Mobile Interceptor Missile - mobile interceptor missile) is a medium-range anti-aircraft missile system. The complex was developed to destroy aircraft, and was later modified to intercept missiles. It was adopted in 1960, the last modernization was in the mid-1990s, within which the rocket received a more powerful engine and other characteristics, which makes it possible to bring the range of application to 45 kilometers, the maximum height of hitting the target - up to 20 kilometers. Also, the modification received a new warhead with ready-made fragments weighing 35 g each. At the moment, none of the modifications of the system is used by the US military.
On October 13, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced that Spain would transfer four of its Hawk air defense systems to Ukraine.
Drones, armored vehicles and fleet
Singh also reported on the transfer of more than 1,1 thousand units of barrage ammunition (kamikaze drones) Phoenix Ghost. By August, the United States had transferred about 700 units of such drones to Ukraine.
Phoenix Ghost is a barrage munition developed by the American company Aevex Aerospace. According to a senior representative of the US Department of Defense, it has the same capabilities as the Switchblade barrage munition developed by AeroVironment. The technical specifications of Phoenix Ghost are unknown. Switchblade, with which the drone is compared, has 2 modifications. The Switchblade 300 has a mass of 2.5 kg and is equipped with a warhead comparable to a 40 mm grenade. The Switchblade 600 weighs 54.5 kg, is equipped with a warhead identical to the Javelin ATGM, and is designed to destroy armored vehicles. According to the developer Phoenix Ghost, the drone is effective against medium-armored ground targets, can take off vertically and stay in flight for more than six hours, and can also be used at night due to the presence of infrared sensors. Small dimensions allow ammunition to fit into a backpack.
Singh also announced the allocation of 40 armored boats of the river class, but did not specify a specific model.
In addition, 250 American M1117 armored personnel carriers will be transferred to Ukraine. This type of APC is equipped with a 40 mm Mk. 19 grenade launcher, a 12.7mm M2HB machine gun and an additional M249 rifle caliber machine gun. It has a mass of 14.4 tons. Designed for reconnaissance, as an infantry fighting vehicle, command and staff vehicle, as well as a repair and evacuation vehicle. The crew consists of a driver and a commander. In addition to crew members, the vehicle is capable of transporting up to 8 military personnel.
Mikhail Rodionov