Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs Ukraine will receive additional ammunition for its American-supplied High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), alongside equipment and training for its forces, as part of the Biden administration’s latest weapons package.The truck-mounted launchers, manufactured by Lockheed Martin, can carry a range of munitions, including the supersonic Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS), and have proved themselves a particularly effective weapon. Used by Kyiv to strike targets in eastern Ukraine, the system has been described as the country’s “backbone against Russian aggression,” and as a “symbol of Russian vulnerability.”What is in the latest weapons package for Ukraine?”As part of the surge in security assistance that President Biden announced on September 26, the United States is providing another significant package of urgently needed weapons and equipment to our Ukrainian partners as they defend against Russia’s ongoing attacks,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday.Blinken was referring to the $2.4 billion security assistance package, authorized in September to “ensure Ukraine has the tools it needs to prevail in its fight against Russian aggression.”The latest shipment, valued at $500 million according to the State Department, includes additional ammunition for Ukraine’s HIMARS.Ukraine received its first HIMARS in June 2022, according to then-Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov, and the U.S. has since provided Kyiv with at least 39 of the systems.Newsweek has reached out to the Department of State for further comment on Blinken’s announcement, and to inquire how many HIMARS have so far been sent to Ukraine.
A M142 HIMARS launches a missile in Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast on May 18, 2023. On Thursday, the State Department announced a new $500 million shipment of weaponry for Ukraine, which includes additional ammunition for the…
A M142 HIMARS launches a missile in Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast on May 18, 2023. On Thursday, the State Department announced a new $500 million shipment of weaponry for Ukraine, which includes additional ammunition for the truck-mounted launchers.
More
Serhii Mykhalchuk/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images
In addition to the HIMARS boost, the latest shipment includes unmanned aerial systems, counter-drone systems, high-speed anti-radiation missiles, armored and light tactical vehicles, as well as small arms munitions, training and services for Ukraine’s Armed Forces.”The United States and more than 50 nations stand united to ensure Ukraine has the capabilities it needs to defend itself against Russian aggression,” Blinken said.Why are HIMARS important for Ukraine?Since receiving its first HIMARS in 2022, Ukraine has used these to launch cluster munitions and precision-strike rockets at Russian troops and military assets.One such strike on a temporary deployment base in Makiivka killed 89 Russian troops, according to the country’s Ministry of Defense, though Ukraine said as many as 400 may have died in the blast.The U.S.-supplied systems have also proved difficult for Russia to counter, the first confirmed loss of one of Ukraine’s HIMARS coming in March of this year, nearly two years after they were first used by Kyiv.”Our guys are very open about these systems and are extremely grateful to the United States for providing them,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said during a visit to troops near Zaporizhia on Thursday. “HIMARS is a prime example of perfect, high-precision, effective and reliable American weapons.”Do you have a story we should be covering? Do you have any questions about this article? Contact LiveNews@newsweek.com.
