Pentagon readies new $2 billion Ukraine air defence package: Report
The Pentagon is expected to announce a long-term arms deal for Ukraine as soon as Friday that would include a lot of air defence missiles and is worth more than $2 billion, according to a report, citing administration officials
Ukrainian troops drive a tank on a road near the front line in the Donetsk region Monday. AFP File
The Pentagon is expected to announce a long-term arms deal for Ukraine as soon as Friday that would include a lot of air defence missiles and is worth more than $2 billion, according to a Bloomberg report, citing administration officials.
The money will be used to purchase two different types of cutting-edge Patriot air defence missiles as well as Hawk missile launchers and missiles under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, added the report.
One is the Pac-3 Patriot Advanced Capability Missile, made by Lockheed Martin Corporation. The other is a missile developed by Raytheon Technologies Corp. dubbed the Guidance Enhanced Missile, or GEM-T, which, according to its description, “provides improved ability to defeat tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, or enemy aircraft in complement to the PAC-3 missile.”
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In order to combat the recent withering barrages of air- and ground-launched cruise and ballistic missiles on cities and to offer cover from Russian aircraft in the long-awaited counteroffensive, air defence has been a primary priority for Ukraine.
The impending announcement will be made as military analysts say that Ukraine’s long-anticipated counteroffensive is getting underway.
Ukraine counteroffensive on?
Meanwhile, several reports suggested Ukraine’s military has launched its long-awaited counteroffensive against Russian forces
According to an NBC News report, citing a senior officer and a soldier near the front lines, after months of buildup to a campaign that could prove crucial in Kyiv’s bid to reclaim occupied territory, a wave of attacks Thursday focused on the war’s southeastern front lines and appeared to represent a significant new push.
Many see this new phase of the war as crucial to persuading Western allies to renew their support as Ukraine grapples with the fallout from the destruction of a critical dam in the region, added the report.
While Ukraine’s government has consistently said there would be no public announcement of the start of the offensive, Russian officials and the country’s cadre of influential military bloggers, who have been sounding the alarm for days, reported a sudden intensification of attacks in the southern Zaporizhzhia region on Thursday.
The Russian Defence Ministry said its forces had beaten back a large overnight offensive, inflicting heavy losses.
With inputs from agencies
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