US to send Ukraine anti-drone, air defense aid worth $275 million

The United States is preparing for Ukraine to receive a $275million military aid package. This package will provide new capabilities to defeat drones as well as strengthen air defenses.

The package could be released as soon as Friday (23 December). The details of the anti-drone equipment and air defense equipment were not known.

According to people and the document, the Pentagon will also include rockets for High-Motion Artillery Rocket System launchers (HIMARS) made by Lockheed Martin Corp , 155mm ammunition and Humvee military vehicles.

A spokesperson for the National Security Council declined to comment on this aid package. There is no guarantee that the contents or size of aid packages will be unchanged after they have been signed by President Obama.

Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA), which covers $275 million, allows the United States quickly to transfer defense articles from stock without Congress approval. This is in response to an emergency.

According to a Pentagon official, Russia's missile strike in Ukraine was partly planned to exhaust Kyiv’s air defenses and gain dominance over the sky above the country.

The United States sent advanced anti-aircraft NASAMS systems (which have been in operation for several weeks) to Ukraine to counter these attacks.

Washington had previously said that it was sending HAWK interceptors to Ukraine.

The United States has provided security assistance worth $19.1 billion to Kyiv since the Russian invasion on 24 February, which Moscow called "special military operations".

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