The U.S. has approved a new $250 million weapons aid package for Ukraine, with more munitions to support Kyiv’s ongoing counteroffensive operation.
“[This package] includes additional air defense and artillery munitions, mine clearing equipment, medical vehicles, and other equipment to help Ukraine counter Russia’s ongoing war of aggression on the battlefield and protect its people,” the Pentagon wrote in a new statement on Tuesday detailing the the 45th package of weapons to provided from existing inventories.
Ukraine is set to receive RTX’s [RTX] AIM-9M and TOW missiles, Javelin anti-armor missiles, air-launched Hydra-70 rockets and over 3 million rounds of small arms ammunition, according to the Pentagon.
The new security assistance package also includes more munitions for Lockheed Martin’s [LMT] HIMARS launchers and additional 155mm and 105mm artillery rounds
Doug Bush, the Army’s acquisition chief, told reporters earlier in August the service is aiming to produce more than 80,000 155mm artillery rounds per month by FY ‘25 as it works to replenish its own stockpiles and continue supporting Ukraine (Defense Daily, Aug. 7).
The new package also includes armored medical treatment vehicles, Humvee ambulances and demolitions munitions for obstacle clearing, the Pentagon noted.
DoD noted Monday’s weapons aid package is the second funded from the additional $6.2 billion the Pentagon discovered after it overestimated the value of earlier aid provided to Ukraine.
The Pentagon confirmed in June it overvalued the weapons provided through Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) packages by $2.6 billion for fiscal year 2022 and $3.6 billion for FY ‘23, with the department attributing the accounting error to using “replacement costs rather than net book value” (Defense Daily, June 21).
A $200 million weapons aid package announced on Aug. 14 was the first funded from the $6.2 billion in available PDA funds discovered in the recalculation process (Defense Daily, Aug. 14).
Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina told reporters on Tuesday the $6.2 billion in funds would not expire at the end of the fiscal year because they were available due to the recalculation process.
“We’re confident that we will have enough money to meet Ukraine’s needs through the fiscal year. But, as you know, there’s been a request for a supplemental, and we’re hopeful that the Congress will approve a supplemental package for Ukraine,” Singh said during a press briefing.
The Biden administration on Aug. 10 sent Congress a new supplemental spending request, which calls for $5 billion in further Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) funding, which is used to award contracts to industry to meet Ukraine weapons needs, and another $4.5 billion to replace DoD weapons stocks and reimburse the department for services, education and training provided to Ukraine (Defense Daily, Aug. 10).