US to unveil over US$3bil in Ukraine aid with new weapons

US to unveil over US$3bil in Ukraine aid with new weapons

The new aid package will include Sea Sparrow missiles and Bradley fighting vehicles.

The US plans to send 50 Bradley fighting vehicles to assist Kyiv’s battlefield troops. (AP pic)
WASHINGTON:
A new US weapons aid package for Ukraine worth more than US$3 billion is set to be announced later on Friday and will include Sea Sparrow missiles for air defence and Bradley fighting vehicles, according to a document seen by Reuters.

The Sea Sparrow missiles will help curb Russian missile strikes on Ukraine, which are intended to exhaust Kyiv’s air defences and damage the country’s energy infrastructure.

The US and Germany have also pledged to send Patriot missile systems to repel Russian missile and drone attacks.

The RIM-7 Sea Sparrow will be an additional anti-air defence system for Ukraine. It is currently in production by Raytheon Technologies Corp and General Dynamics Corp.

The armoured Bradley fighting vehicle has a powerful gun and has been used regularly by the US Army to carry troops around battlefields since the mid-1980s. The Army has thousands of Bradleys. The US plans to send about 50.

Politico reported on Thursday that the Sea Sparrow System would be used on the Buk launcher, a Soviet-era weapon that Ukraine currently uses.

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