Russia-Ukraine war: See list of weapons used by Ukraine to fight Russian invasion
Premium- Responding to the request by Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, US President Joe Biden promised $800 million in weapons to fight Russia
Amid deteriorating global geopolitical situation, Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a desperate appeal to the US Congress earlier this week seeking additional military support to help fight off Russia. Responding to the request, US president Joe Biden promised $800 million in weapons to fight Russia. The new batch will include 800 Stinger anti-aircraft systems, 2,000 Javelin rockets, 100 'tactical' drones, 20 million rounds of small arms ammo, and 25,000 sets of body armor, as per Hindustan Times report.
S-300 missile defence systems: The S-300 - a sophisticated missile of Russian design owned by some European NATO members - is seen as a viable longer-range anti-aircraft system and one easy to integrate into Ukraine's military, according to AFP report.
Stinger anti-aircraft systems: This is a shoulder-fired missile used by ground troops to combat low-altitude aerial threats. They can also be fired from helicopters. The US has already delivered, or is delivering, 600 of these. Other countries, like Germany, have also pledged hundreds to Ukraine.
Switchblade 'kamikaze' drones: According to AFP there are two variants - Switchblade 300 and Switchblade 600, which is 1.3 metres in length. Both can be launched from land, air or sea, but the larger variant has a range of 50 miles and can deliver a precision strike with anti-armour warheads.
Javelin missiles: This is an anti-tank missile system that uses thermal imaging to find its target. The US will provide Ukraine with 2,000 of these famously deadly missiles, AFP reported. The total number of Javelins from the US is unclear but it is believed to be a considerable amount.
Reports indicate that their efficiency is staggering with a 93% kill rate against Russian tanks, forcing Moscow to pull tank divisions from the front lines in some instances.
Bayraktar TB2 drones: Ukraine has nearly 20 Turkish combat drones. "These are, in comparison to ground combat, relatively small in number, but important for Ukrainian morale because it shows Russia does not control the skies," Aaron Stein of the Foreign Policy Research Institute told AFP.
(With inputs from agencies)
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