US to send AIM-9M missiles to Ukraine in $250 million military package

Europe, News, US August 30, 2023 , by IRIA No Comments

United States Department of Defense announced a $250 million worth of additional military package for Ukraine on August 29, 2023. The latest package includes AIM-9M missiles for air defense, TOW missiles, and ammunition for HIMARS.

The Pentagon statement highlighted that “With the presidential drawdown authority package announced today, the U.S. has committed more than $43 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of Russia’s invasion in February 2022.”

Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said during a briefing on August 29 that the Department of Defense’s new military package would meet “Ukraine’s critical security and defense needs.”

Singh added, “The U.S. will continue to work with its allies and partners to provide Ukraine with the capabilities to meet its immediate battlefield needs and longer-term security systems requirements.”

Washington has paced up its support for Kyiv following Russia’s withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative. Last month, the Biden administration announced a separate $1.3 billion military aid package for Ukraine under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI).

^{U.S. Army soldiers from Delta Company, 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), fire the TOW missile system during a live fire at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, Oct. 24, 2018. (Image Credit: Capt. Justin Wright/U.S. Army)}

The latest military package for Ukraine includes:

AIM-9M missiles for air defense
Additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS)
155 mm and 105 mm artillery rounds
Tube-launched, optically-tracked, wire-guided (TOW) missiles
Javelin and other anti-armor systems and rockets
Hydra-70 rockets
Mine-clearing equipment
Over 3 million rounds of small-arms ammunition
Armored medical treatment vehicles and high-mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicle (Humvee) ambulances
Demolition munitions for obstacle clearing
Spare parts, maintenance, and other field equipment.

Earlier this month, the U.S. announced a military package including critical munitions for U.S.-provided Patriot air defense systems and High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems.

The United States has also donated at least 59 Bradley Fighting Vehicles along with more than 500 TOW missile systems to Ukraine. Some analysts believe that after providing TOW missiles from its inventory, the U.S. Army is giving large-scale military contracts to fill up its depleting arsenal.

According to the U.S. Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology, Douglas R. Bush, the United States is currently producing new artillery rounds at a rate of 24,000 per month and is on track to produce in excess of 80,000 rounds per month over the following year.