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The US has now pledged more than $13 billion in arms and aid to Ukraine since Russia invaded in February. The Pentagon released a list of weapons it has shipped or is in the process of releasing this week.
One important thing is that some of the weapons on that list are not yet available and still need to be manufactured, it will take a long time before these systems enter the battlefield. Late last week, a senior US defense official said it would be “two to three months” before advanced missile defenses are ready to be shipped to Ukraine. That’s because Raytheon Technologies must build the eight National Advanced Surface to Air Missile Systems, or NASAMS, that the U.S. is sending to Kiev.
The Pentagon still hasn’t awarded a contract for the Switchblade kamikaze drones. Defense news Reports. And the Phoenix Ghost drones, which the United States first promised in April, are not expected to arrive until “the end of this month,” the official said.
Last week’s announcement of a $775 million arms package “contains signs of a trade-off as the United States faces inventory shortages,” Mark Kanchian, senior adviser at the Global Security Program for Strategic and International Studies, wrote Friday. A $3 billion arms package announced Wednesday will keep Ukraine’s military in the long-term, but it will take months or years to fully implement it.
The HIMARS long-range artillery, supplied by the US and Germany, has been hailed as a “game changer” in helping Ukraine repel Russian forces. With Russia planning to increase the size of its military, the question becomes: What can the US or its allies offer as the next game changer?
Among the new equipment transferred to Ukraine: Anti-Drone System VAMPIRE – Abbreviation for Vehicle-Agnostic Modular Pelletized ISR Rocket Weapons. Images on the L3Harris Technologies website show rockets mounted on the back of a Toyota Tundra pickup truck. VAMPIRE is “vehicle-agnostic” so it can be installed in any pickup bed.
The US Army awarded General Dynamics a $1.1 billion contract 250 Abrams tanks for the Polish army. “The modern M1A2 SEPv3 configuration features technological advances in communications, fire control and lethality, reliability, durability and fuel efficiency, and improved weapons technology,” General Dynamics Land Systems said in a statement. “Additionally, the SEPv3 Abrams is designed to seamlessly accept future upgrades.” The U.S. Army is training Polish soldiers on 28 Abrams tanks that were sent to Poland in July.
Meanwhile, the army was awarded BAE Systems A $278 million contract for the Beowulf tracked personnel carrier. “Beowulf is an unarmored, tracked and highly versatile vehicle capable of carrying personnel and various loads in both compartments,” said BAE. The deal is part of the Army’s Cold Weather All-terrain Vehicle program and also includes spare parts and contractor logistics support, BAE said.
The army signed this week A two-year collaborative research and development agreement with Hawkeye 360 to develop and demonstrate new commercial RF-surveillance capabilities for the company that can “provide appropriate joint support for the warfighter.” More about the deal here.
One More Army Deal: The service has selected AeroVironment for Increment 1 of the Future Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System, or FTUAS, program. The $8 million contract “includes the procurement, testing and delivery of 20 JUMP medium unmanned aerial vehicles to a select Army brigade combat team and associated services, training and support,” contractor Aero Environment said in a statement. The JUMP 20 “meets an immediate operational need from units to replace the RQ-7B Shadow,” the Army said.
Boeing and Leonardo Delivered the first four MH-139 Gray Wolf helicopters to the Air Force. The Air Force will now test the helicopter, a military version of the AW-139. The MH-139 will replace Huey helicopters used by security forces to maintain intercontinental ballistic missiles. The Air Force plans to use some of the 80 new MH-139s in the Washington, D.C. region for VIP transport missions.
One of the defenses
The December test was part of an effort to equip B-2 bombers to shoot down the stealthy JASSM-ER.
But the multibillion-dollar deals raise questions about how far along the next-generation air superiority program is.
The survey shows that Americans want to continue supporting Ukraine for the time being, despite the threat of inflation at home.
The $3B package, announced on the country’s Independence Day, includes more than 300,000 artillery and mortar rounds.
Kyiv appears to be preparing a long game for territory west of the Dnieper River.
Tactical cooling jackets and other adaptations are needed because of dangerous temperatures in training ranges and combat zones.
Open, modular electronics are key to the leap forward in capability, says director of the Future Vertical Lift Program.
America needs a long-term goal in space to compete with Beijing, writes the Pentagon’s Industrial Base Group.
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