WASHINGTON — From heavy artillery to tactical drones to armored vehicles, the U.S. has provided $3.4 billion in weapons to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion two months ago.
The latest military aid package of $800 million, which is the eighth installment of aid, comes after eight weeks of war and as Russian forces prepare for a renewed fight in the east and south of Ukraine.
Here’s a look at the weapons the U.S. has committed to the fight thus far.
Drones
Included in the latest security package, are 121 tactical unmanned aerial systems dubbed “Phoenix Ghost” drones.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Thursday that the drones were “rapidly developed by the Air Force, in response, specifically to Ukrainian requirements.”
“It provides similar capabilities to the Switchblade series of unmanned systems, similar capabilities but not exact. There are other differences in the scope of capability for the Phoenix Ghosts, but I’m just not going to be able to get into more detail about those capabilities right now,” Kirby said.
The drones are manufactured by Aevex Aerospace in Solana Beach, Calif., and are currently in the U.S. Air Force arsenal. Once the drones are in the region, U.S. troops will have to train Ukrainian forces on how to operate them, Kirby told reporters during a daily press briefing. He did not provide a timeline for when the drones would arrive in the region.
The U.S. has also committed at least 300 Switchblade drones manufactured by U.S.-based firm AeroVironment. There are two variants of the weapon, the Switchblade 300 and the 600. It was not immediately clear which version the U.S. deployed to Ukraine.
Each Switchblade is designed to be a single-use or a “kamikaze” drone.
The 300 variant is designed to strike small targets. It can fit in a rucksack, weighs a little over 5 pounds and has a range of 10 miles. The 600 version of the weapon is designed to destroy tanks and other armored vehicles. It weighs slightly more than 120 pounds and has a range of more than 40 miles.
Armored and tactical vehicles
The U.S. has committed hundreds of armored vehicles to Ukrainian forces, including 200 M113 armored vehicles and 100 armored high mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicles.
The U.S. military has also allocated at least 72 tactical vehicles for the purpose of towing U.S Army and U.S. Marine Corps 155mm howitzers around the battlefield.
Heavy artillery
The last two U.S. weapons packages for Ukraine have included a total of 90 howitzer artillery systems. These are the first-known heavy artillery platforms to be transferred from U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps stockpiles to Ukrainian forces.
The Pentagon confirmed that Ukraine forces will have to train alongside U.S. troops before operating the howitzers. The Pentagon said earlier this week that the training had already begun and was taking place in a location outside of Ukraine but in the region.
Along with the howitzers, the U.S. has sent approximately 184,000 artillery rounds.
Missiles and other anti-armor systems
High on the wishlists of Ukrainian forces are the Javelin portable anti-armor weapons. To date, the U.S. has transferred nearly 6,000 Javelins, which are co-produced by defense giants Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, to the Ukrainian government.
In addition, the U.S. has committed nearly 2,000 Stinger anti-aircraft missile systems to Ukraine, 6,000 portable AT-4 anti-armor systems as well as other laser-guided rocket systems.
Aircraft and radars
The U.S. has agreed to send at least 11 Mi-17 Russian military helicopters that were once slated to join Afghanistan’s military fleet before the stunning Taliban takeover of the country.
The Mi-17s are personnel transport helicopters that can be armed with cannons and rockets, to perform attack or close air support roles.
The U.S. military has also committed 10 of the highly mobile AN/TPQ-36 counter-artillery radars. This radar system is capable of locating mortars, artillery and rockets within a short-range.
Two Raytheon AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel air surveillance radars have also joined the fight in Ukraine. The Sentinel system is designed to alert front-line air-defense weapons whenever it catches a glimpse of hostile planes, helicopters, drones or missiles.
Guns and ammunition
The Pentagon has sent nearly 40 million rounds of small arms ammunition and more than 5,000 rifles, 1,000 pistols, 400 machine guns and 400 shotguns to Ukraine.
The U.S. has also dedicated more than 1 million grenades, mortars and artillery rounds.
Protective equipment
To date, the U.S. has sent more than 30,000 sets of body armor and helmets to Ukrainian forces, according to figures provided by the Pentagon.
In addition, the U.S. has also equipped Ukrainian troops with night vision devices, thermal imagery systems and other forms of militarized optics.
The U.S. has also included medical supplies as well as equipment used to aid in combat evacuations. In addition, hundreds of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear protective equipment have also left U.S. stockpiles for Ukraine.
