The United States has released a package worth $400 million under the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) for embattled Ukraine, as it tries to hold back a Russian advance in the North East of the country in the liberated province of Kharkiv. This is the third tranche of funding since the U.S. Congress passed USD 60 billion supplemental funding for Ukraine in April after months of deadlock. This will also be the 57th tranche of weapons for Ukraine from America since the Department of Defense (DoD) started supplying weapons to Ukraine months before the war in August 2021. The equipment will start arriving in Ukraine within days.
Ukraine is in urgent need as its ammunition reserves, especially those of artillery and air-defence, have been dwindling. Under the PDA package, Ukraine would receive ammunition for Patriot air defence system, National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS), Stinger anti-aircraft missiles. The Ukrainian forces through this tranche will also get Additional High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems(HIMARS) and ammunition, 155mm and 105mm artillery ammunition, Tube-Launched, Optically-Tracked, Wire-Guided (TOW) and Javelin ATGMs besides AT-4 anti-armour rockets.
As part of the package the Ukrainian forces will receive additional Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles, M113 Armoured Personnel Carriers, Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles, trailers to transport heavy equipment and coastal and riverine patrol boats.
Efforts will also be made to integrate Western munitions with legacy Soviet platforms in use with Ukraine. Additional High-speed Anti-radiation missiles (HARMs) will also be provided, these missiles integrated on Ukrainian Air Force (UAF) aircraft are being used to destroy Russian radar systems. The UAF will also receive precision aerial munitions from the United States.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has announced Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), a historic USD 6 billion long-term investment plan to purchase new equipment for Ukrainian forces. The USAI is separate from the PDA and will be delivered over a longer duration.
Dhruv Yadav
