US to send $1.8bn worth of weapons to Ukraine, including Patriot missiles
The United States government has reportedly decided to send 1.8 billion dollars’ worth of weapons to Ukraine, including precision bomb kits and Patriot missile systems.
US President Joe Biden’s administration will soon announce the new military aid package for Kiev amid reports the war-torn country’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, may visit Washington, DC.
CNN on Tuesday cited multiple US officials as saying the new military aid is expected to help Kiev turn the existing unguided munitions, or “dumb” bombs, into precision-guided “smart” bombs known in military jargon as Joint Direct Attack Munitions, or JDAMs.
The advanced military kits and systems are expected to be included in the next weapons shipment to Ukraine for the first time as early as this week, the sources said, though officials did not say how many JDAMs would be provided, or of what specific type they would be.
The kits can be attached to bombs of different weights and sizes, ranging from a 500-pound bomb to one that is 2,000 pounds. The munitions then use a combination of GPS and an inertial guidance system to strike a target with precision. An additional system can also give the bomb laser guidance to strike a moving target.
The plan to provide the kits, first reported by The Washington Post, give the bombs a range of approximately 15 miles, according to Boeing, the US manufacturer of the kits.
According to Boeing, to date, more than 400,000 kits have been produced at a cost of approximately $22,000 per kit.
The next aid package to Ukraine is also expected to include Patriot missile systems.
Meanwhile, media reports citing anonymous sources say Zelensky could travel to Washington, DC to meet Biden and visit the US Congress.
Security concerns could still force the Ukrainian leader to change his plans, though, a source told the Reuters news agency.
Earlier on Tuesday, US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a letter that there would be a session of Congress on Wednesday night that would have a “very special focus on democracy,” further raising speculation that the Ukrainian leader may visit the US Capitol.
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