Story by Hugh Cameron
Ukraine will receive additional ammunition for its American-supplied
High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), alongside equipment and
training for its forces, as part of the Biden administration's latest
weapons package.
The truck-mounted launchers, manufactured by Lockheed Martin, can carry
a range of munitions, including the supersonic Army Tactical Missile
System (ATACMS), and have proved themselves a particularly effective
weapon. Used by Kyiv to strike targets in eastern Ukraine, the system
has been described as the country's "backbone against Russian
aggression," and as a "symbol of Russian vulnerability."
What is in the latest weapons package for Ukraine?
"As part of the surge in security assistance that President Biden
announced on September 26, the United States is providing another
significant package of urgently needed weapons and equipment to our
Ukrainian partners as they defend against Russia's ongoing attacks,"
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday.
Blinken was referring to the $2.4 billion security assistance package,
authorized in September to "ensure Ukraine has the tools it needs to
prevail in its fight against Russian aggression."
The latest shipment, valued at $500 million according to the State
Department, includes additional ammunition for Ukraine's HIMARS.
Ukraine received its first HIMARS in June 2022, according to
then-Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov, and the U.S. has since provided
Kyiv with at least 39 of the systems.
Newsweek has reached out to the Department of State for further comment
on Blinken's announcement, and to inquire how many HIMARS have so far
been sent to Ukraine.
In addition to the HIMARS boost, the latest shipment includes unmanned
aerial systems, counter-drone systems, high-speed anti-radiation
missiles, armored and light tactical vehicles, as well as small arms
munitions, training and services for Ukraine's Armed Forces.
"The United States and more than 50 nations stand united to ensure
Ukraine has the capabilities it needs to defend itself against Russian
aggression," Blinken said.
Why are HIMARS important for Ukraine?
Since receiving its first HIMARS in 2022, Ukraine has used these to
launch cluster munitions and precision-strike rockets at Russian troops
and military assets.
One such strike on a temporary deployment base in Makiivka killed 89
Russian troops, according to the country's Ministry of Defense, though
Ukraine said as many as 400 may have died in the blast.
The U.S.-supplied systems have also proved difficult for Russia to
counter, the first confirmed loss of one of Ukraine's HIMARS coming in
March of this year, nearly two years after they were first used by Kyiv.
"Our guys are very open about these systems and are extremely grateful
to the United States for providing them," Ukrainian President Volodymyr
Zelensky said during a visit to troops near Zaporizhia on Thursday.
"HIMARS is a prime example of perfect, high-precision, effective and
reliable American weapons."
