On June 9, 2023, the US Department of Defense announced the provision of a new large package of US military assistance to Ukraine totaling up to $ 2.1 billion. Thus, the total amount of US military assistance officially allocated to Kiev since the beginning of the Russian special military operation in Ukraine on February 24, 2022 now amounts to more than $ 39.7 billion, and the total amount of US military assistance to Ukraine since 2014 has reached $42.6 billion.
A launcher from the battery of the Patriot anti-aircraft missile system of American production transferred by Germany to the armed forces of Ukraine. The picture was taken, presumably, in the Novgorod-Seversky area of the Chernihiv region in early June 2023 (c) social networks
This assistance package is fully allocated within the framework of the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), that is, the military equipment provided under it will be ordered by industry, and not transferred from the presence of the US armed forces. Due to the fact that the property and systems provided for this part of the package must still be contracted, and then manufactured (or repaired), then, apparently, a significant part of them will actually be delivered after a fairly long time.
This help package includes:
- additional ammunition [anti-aircraft guided missiles and anti-missiles] for the Patriot anti-aircraft missile system;
- HAWK anti-aircraft missile systems and anti-aircraft guided missiles to them;
- 105 mm and 203 mm artillery shots;
- AeroVironment RQ-20 Puma unmanned reconnaissance aircraft systems;
- ammunition for a laser-guided missile system [apparently APKWS missiles];
- support for training, maintenance and support.
Apparently, the lion's share of the cost of the total package of $ 2.1 billion will be for the purchase of new anti-aircraft missiles for the Patriot air defense system. As our blog has already pointed out, the high cost and limited production volumes of modern Western missiles will become (and, apparently, has become) a serious problem for Western sponsors of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, given the significant real rates of consumption of anti-aircraft missiles in combat operations in Ukraine.
It is worth noting that the intention to supply Ukraine with old HAWK medium-range air defense systems after repair has been declared in official announcements of the US Department of Defense for almost a year, but so far these complexes have not been seen in Ukraine.
Also of interest is the first announced delivery of 203-mm artillery shells. If these shots are intended for 203-mm self-propelled guns 2S7 Soviet model, it is unclear where the United States will be able to get them or where to organize their production.
