US to provide further counter-drone systems to Ukraine

The United States Department of Defense (DoD) announced on December 2 additional security assistance to meet Ukraine’s critical security and defence needs. This announcement is the Biden Administration’s seventy-first tranche of equipment to be provided from DoD inventories for Ukraine since August 2021.  

This Presidential Drawdown Authority package, which has an estimated value of USD725 million, will provide Ukraine additional capabilities to meet its most urgent needs, including air defence capabilities.

The air defence capabilities included in this package are:

• Three Patriot air defense batteries and munitions
• 12 National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS) and munitions
• HAWK air defence systems and munitions
• AIM-7, RIM-7, and AIM-9M missiles for air defence
• More than 3,000 Stinger anti-aircraft missiles
• Avenger air defence systems
• VAMPIRE Counter-Uncrewed Aerial Systems (C-UAS) and munitions
• C-UAS gun trucks and ammunition
• Mobile C-UAS laser-guided rocket systems
• Other unspecified C-UAS equipment
• Anti-aircraft guns and ammunition
• Air defence systems components
• Equipment to integrate Western launchers, missiles, and radars with Ukraine’s systems
• Equipment to support and sustain Ukraine’s existing air defence capabilities
• 21 air surveillance radars

In addition, DoD will be providing a number of UAS and two radar systems for UAS as well as numerous systems and components for ground and maritime operations.