(CNN) The Pentagon announced Monday that the US has sent antiradar missiles to Ukrainian planes to target Russian radar systems, marking the first time the Defense Department has confirmed the previously undisclosed missile was being sent to Ukraine became.
Undersecretary for Defense Policy Colin Kahl said at a news conference that the US had sent “several” missiles without specifying how many the US had provided or when they were sent.
Kahl did not explicitly state what type of antiradiation missile was being sent.
A defense official told CNN that the type of missile sent was the AGM88 HighSpeed AntiRadiation Missile (HARM).
The Raytheonproduced HARMs have a range of over 30 miles, according to the US Air Force, making them one of the longrange weapons that the US has supplied to Ukraine. The missiles can be used to attack Russian antiaircraft radar systems such as the S400, making it very difficult for the Ukrainian Air Force to overfly large areas of Ukrainian airspace. The missiles can also hit Russian counterbattery radars that Russia uses to attack Ukrainian artillery.
Kahl said the rockets “were sent in newer packages [da Autoridade de Retirada Presidencial]’ but the five most recent packages as of July 1st do not mention HARMs.
“In the short term, we have done a lot to ensure that Ukraine’s existing air force stays in the air and becomes more efficient,” said Kahl.
He pointed to spare parts for the Mig29, which the US helped send to Ukraine to keep Sovietera fighter jets flying. Kahl then mentioned the missiles, saying they “could have an impact on Russian radars and stuff”.
Ukrainians have not publicly acknowledged receiving or using HARMs.
In recent days, opensource reports have revealed the remains of what appears to be a fin from a HARM missile that struck a Russian position in Ukraine.
Kahl announced the missiles at a briefing on the Pentagon’s latest $1 billion arms package for Ukraine, the largest U.S. arms package to date.
The package focused on supplying ammunition for some of the key weapon systems that the US was shipping to Ukraine. These include the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), which the Ukrainian military has used effectively to attack Russian command posts, ammunition depots and more, as well as the M777 howitzers, which have been a crucial part of the fighting in Donbass. , region of Eastern Ukraine.
Russia, said Kahl, has had around 70,000 to 80,000 casualties in the conflict so far, including dead and wounded.
“That number might be a little bit lower, a little bit higher, but I think it’s kind of there,” he said. He added that Russia lost between 3,000 and 4,000 armored vehicles.
With this latest package, the US has committed to sending a total of $9.1 billion in security aid to Ukraine since the Russian invasion began in late February.
SOURCE: CNN