US approves delivery to Ukraine of more NASAMS surface-to-air missiles
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On November 23, 2022, the United States Department of Defense (DoD) announced the authorization of a Presidential Drawdown of security assistance valued at up to $400 million to meet Ukraine's critical security and defense needs. This authorization is the Biden Administration's twenty-sixth drawdown of equipment from DoD inventories for Ukraine since August 2021.
With Russia's unrelenting and brutal missile and UAS (Unnamed Aerial System) attacks on Ukrainian critical energy infrastructure, additional air defense capabilities remain an urgent priority. The additional munitions for NASAMS and heavy machine guns will help Ukraine counter these urgent threats.
In total, the United States has committed more than $19.7 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of the Biden Administration. Since 2014, the United States has committed more than $21.8 billion in security assistance to Ukraine and more than $19 billion since the beginning of Russia's unprovoked and brutal invasion on February 24.
The new military package for Ukraine includes:
• Additional munitions for National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS);
• 150 heavy machine guns with thermal imagery sights to counter Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS);
• Additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS);
• 200 precision-guided 155mm artillery rounds;
• 10,000 120mm mortar rounds;
• High-speed Anti-radiation missiles (HARMs);
• 150 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWVs);
• Over 100 light tactical vehicles;
• Over 20,000,000 rounds of small arms ammunition;
• Over 200 generators;
• Spare parts for 105mm Howitzers and other equipment.
On November 8, 2022, the Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brigadier General Pat Ryder announced that two National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS) have been delivered to Ukraine by the United States.
The NASAMS is a medium-range air defense system designed and developed jointly by Raytheon from the United States and the Norwegian company Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace. It is able to fire AIM-9 Sidewinder and IRIS-T SLS short-range missiles at a maximum firing range of 25 km and AMRAAM-ER extended-range missiles at a range of 50 km.