WASHINGTON, Broadcasting News Corporation : The US will dispatch another $775 million in weapons and military equipment — including rockets, drones and missile systems — to Ukraine, a senior defense official said Friday, days before the six-month anniversary of Russia’s invasion. The package, which is expected to be officially announced later Friday, will for the first time include 40 Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles (MRAPs), 16 105mm howitzers, 15 reconnaissance drones, an undisclosed number of anti-tank missile systems and 2,000 rounds of anti-armor ammunition for Carl Gustaf rifles. “This continues our tradition of providing the Ukrainians what they need when they need it,” the official said. The aid will also include additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems – or HIMARS — high-speed anti-radiation missiles, 36,000 pieces of accompanying artillery rounds and 1,000 additional Javelin anti-armor systems, 2,000 anti-armor rounds and smaller items such as rangefinders and thermal imaging systems, according to the official. The US has previously sent Ukraine more than 100 M777 howitzers, 16 HIMARS systems and thousands of Javelins, missiles and other ammunition. The focus on long-range rocket and missile systems has been key for the past five months since Russia shifted its focus to the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. “We have been seeing Ukraine, employing HIMARS masterfully on the battlefield,” the official said. “This long-range fire capability has changed really changed the dynamic on the battlefield, so we want to make sure that Ukraine has a steady stream of ammunition to meet its needs and that’s what we’re doing with this package.”
The announcement comes less than two weeks after President Biden approved a $1 billion military aid package to Ukraine – the largest yet. That aid included ammunition to support National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems, or NASAMS, howitzers and HIMARS, according to the Pentagon. The upcoming aid package will bring the total cost of US military aid for the Kyiv government to about $10.5 billion since the invasion began Feb. 24. News collected from NEW YORK POST.