The Biden administration for the first time will send Ukraine four Avenger air defense systems as part of its latest $400 million weapons package, the Pentagon has announced.
The most recent aid tranche comes as the Russian military has announced a withdrawal from the southern city of Kherson.
“With Russia’s unrelenting and brutal air attacks on Ukrainian critical infrastructure, additional air defense capabilities are critical,” according to a Defense Department readout on the announcement.
The weapons package includes the four Avengers, missiles for Hawk air defense systems, Stinger missiles, additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, 400 grenade launchers, 100 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles, and other artillery rounds and small arms ammunition, Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters.
This marks the first time the U.S. will send Ukraine the vehicle-mounted Avenger, a surface-to-air missile system meant to provide short-range air defense for ground troops.
Singh said the system is meant to complement weapons Western nations have already provided Ukraine in its fight against Russia.
“We’re basically creating … a net of air defense systems of different ranges that allows them to — whether it’s the Hawk missiles or the [IRIS-T medium range infrared homing missile] that the Germans provided or what we are providing today with the four Avenger air defense systems — all of them have different ranges, all of them contribute differently on the battlefield, which makes the Ukrainians effective,” she said.
The U.S. has now provided more than $18.6 billion in military assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of the war on Feb. 24.
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