The US is doubling the variety of HIMARS rocket launchers to be despatched to Kiev
The Pentagon will ship 4 extra rocket artillery programs to Ukraine as a part of the newest $450 million army help bundle, the US authorities mentioned on Thursday. This might carry the entire variety of HIMARS launchers despatched to Kiev to eight, the primary having reportedly already reached Ukrainian troops.
The newest tranche of army help earmarked for Kiev contains 4 extra M142 Excessive Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launchers, performing Pentagon press secretary Todd Breasseale confirmed on Thursday. Final week, Politico was the primary to report that Washington was considering sending the Ukrainians extra of the programs, “based mostly on Ukrainian quick wants.”
“The US has now dedicated roughly $6.8 billion in safety help to Ukraine for the reason that starting of the Biden Administration,” Breasseale added.
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Kiev, nonetheless, has requested for a far larger amount of weapons – “ten occasions extra” HIMARS, Ukrainian MP Alexandra Ustinova advised Politico – describing the 4 on their method as “nothing.”
The primary batch of 4 launchers have already arrived, Ukrainian Protection Minister Alexey Reznikov announced on Twitter, thanking his “colleague and good friend” Lloyd Austin for the “highly effective instruments” and wishing loss of life on Russian troops.
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On Wednesday, his ministry celebrated mounting a rocket launcher, allegedly from a downed Russian helicopter, onto a Mitsubishi pick-up as a makeshift resolution – referred to as a “technical” – till the HIMARS arrived.
So, now rus weapons are actually in a superb arms. 🇺🇦 warriors have put in a rocket launcher from a shot down 🇷🇺 🚁 Ka-52 on their automobile and use it in opposition to the occupiers. P.S. Thanks to 🇺🇦 volunteers for the Mitsubishi L200. P.P.S. However we’re nonetheless ready for HIMARS and M270! pic.twitter.com/ZXem1grx23
Along with the wheeled US launchers, the UK is sending Ukraine three of the tracked M270 MLRS, which makes use of the identical ammunition. One other three items are supposed to come back from Germany, which has already despatched Kiev a number of PHz2000 self-propelled weapons. Although the US initially claimed that the launchers could be geared up with “battlefield munitions,” the Pentagon’s coverage chief Colin Kahl revealed earlier this month that the US was offering Ukraine with heavy guided missiles, with a variety of 70 kilometers.
Final week, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky mentioned Kiev wanted 300 MLRS launchers, 500 tanks and 1,000 howitzers to achieve heavy weapons parity with Russia, solely to be rebuked by a protection official.
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In keeping with the Russian Protection Ministry, as of Thursday Ukrainian forces had misplaced a complete of 647 MLRS launchers, together with a number of of international manufacture that have been struck at warehouses in Nikolaev in a single day.
In the meantime, there have been unconfirmed reviews that two of the French-made CAESAR 155mm howitzers provided to Kiev have been captured by Russian or allied troops and dispatched to Russia for research. In a Telegram publish on Thursday, the Russian weapons-maker Uralvagonzavod jokingly thanked President Emmanuel Macron for the “present” and requested him to “ship extra” to be dismantled. Nonetheless, there was no official affirmation of the howitzers’ seize.
