On December 21, 2022, on the occasion of the visit of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky to Washington, the US Department of Defense announced the allocation of a new large-scale package of American military assistance to Ukraine for a record amount of $ 1.85 billion to date. The central part of the new aid package was the provision to Ukraine of the first battery of the American modern Patriot long-range anti-aircraft missile system, as well as sets of JDAM guided aerial bombs. 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 amounts to more than $21.2 billion, and the total amount of US military aid to Ukraine since 2014 has reached approximately $ 24 billion.
The launcher of the MIM-104 Patriot anti-aircraft missile system from the 2nd Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment of the US Army Anti-Aircraft Artillery School. Fort Sill (Oklahoma), 06/18/2019 (c) US ArmyA feature of the new military aid package is its division into two parts.
The first part is the allocation of $ 1 billion by the orders of the US President within his administrative powers (Presidential Drawdown of Security Assistance - PDA) and is the operational allocation of property from the presence of the US Department of Defense. This is the 28th presidential package of military assistance to Ukraine under the PDA since August 2021.
The second part of the package in the amount of $850 million is a targeted allocation of budget funds in accordance with the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) program for the purchase and production of new weapons and military equipment from industry for subsequent transfer to Ukraine. As can be judged, the bulk of the military equipment ordered by USAI will arrive in Ukraine only after a considerable time.
Through the PDA line in this package, Ukraine is provided with:
- one battery of the Patriot anti-aircraft missile system and anti-aircraft guided missiles to it;
- an unnamed additional number of GMLRS precision guided missiles for HIMARS missile systems;
- an unnamed additional number of AGM-88 HARM aircraft anti-radar missiles;
- an unnamed number of sets of JDAM guided aerial bombs (Joint Direct Attack Munitions);
- 500 high-precision artillery shots of 155 mm caliber (apparently M982 Excalibur);
- 10 120 mm mortars and 10 thousand 120 mm mortar shells;
- 10 81 mm mortars;
- 10 60 mm mortars;
- 37 Cougar class MRAP wheeled armored vehicles;
- 6 armored trucks;
- 120 HMMWV cars;
- more than 2,700 grenade launchers (apparently automatic anti-personnel) and small arms;
- Claymore directional anti-personnel mines;
- subversive property;
- night vision devices and optical devices;
- tactical secure radio communication equipment;
- bulletproof vests and other field equipment.
Through the USAI line, Soviet-caliber ammunition is provided to Ukraine in this package. As you can understand, their production is ordered at the enterprises of third countries (most likely, Eastern Europe):
- 45 thousand artillery rounds of 152 mm caliber;
- 20 thousand artillery rounds of 122 mm caliber;
- 50 thousand 122 mm rockets for BM-21 Grad systems;
- 100 thousand shots to 125 mm tank guns;
- satellite communication equipment and services;
- funds for training and maintenance.
As for the Patriot air defense system battery, then, according to American media, it will be allocated from the presence of US Army training units in the United States. A representative of the US Department of Defense stated that the training of Ukrainian personnel for this battery will take "several months".
