The United States will offer a new $four hundred million bundle of protection help to Ukraine that consists of refurbished T-seventy two tanks, Phoenix Ghost unmanned drones, and armored boats, US Department of Defense spokesperson Sabrina Singh stated on Friday.
“[We are] pronouncing approximately $four hundred million in extra protection help for Ukraine,” Singh stated at some point of a press briefing. “Some of the skills encompass investment to refurbish Hawk air protection missiles for inclusion in destiny presidential drawdown packages, forty five refurbished T-seventy two tanks with superior optics, communications, and armor packages, 1,a hundred Phoenix Ghost tactical unmanned aerial systems, forty armored Riverine boats, investment to refurbish 250 M1117 armored protection vehicles.”
Singh stated not one of the T-seventy two tanks are really US tanks, noting that they may be coming from the Czech Republic’s protection base.
The United States will cowl the prices to refurbish forty five tanks from the Czech Republic, and the Netherlands will healthy this dedication with the aid of using procuring the refurbishment of a further forty five T-seventy two tanks for Ukraine. A overall of ninety tanks are predicted to be introduced to Ukraine after being restored to operating condition, she added.
The spokesperson talked about that the assertion represents the start of a contracting technique to offer extra navy skills to Ukraine.
When requested to offer a timeline for the transport of Phoenix drones to Ukraine from the brand new resource bundle, Singh stated Ukraine has already obtained the primary tranche of drones devoted in June, however she refused to offer any timeline for the following tranche.
Last week, the US introduced a new $275 million navy help bundle for Ukraine that consists of ammunition for HIMARS launchers, 500 precision-guided 155mm artillery rounds, 2,000 155mm rounds of Remote Anti-Armor Mine systems, 1,three hundred anti-armor systems, and one hundred twenty five High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles.
Earlier, a senior US protection professional stated at some point of a press briefing that the Phoenix Ghost drones had been advanced with the aid of using the US in reaction to Ukrainian necessities and could require minimum schooling.
“What I can inform you approximately the Phoenix Ghost [drone] is that this changed into hastily advanced with the aid of using the [US] Air Force in reaction in particular to Ukrainian necessities,” the professional stated on Thursday. “It would require a few minimum schooling for informed UAS [unmanned aircraft systems] operators in order to use it, and we’re going to be operating thru the ones schooling necessities without delay with the Ukrainian Armed Forces.”
The Phoenix Ghost drones offer comparable skills to the Switchblade however now no longer precisely the identical ones, as there are a few variations withinside the skills for the Phoenix, the professional clarified.
Later withinside the day, Defense Department spokesperson John Kirby defined that the Phoenix Ghost drone have been in improvement with the aid of using the United States Air Force earlier than the start of the Russian unique navy operation in Ukraine on February 24.
The discussions that Pentagon had with Ukrainians made the United States protection officers trust that this drone gadget will “well in shape their needs, mainly in jap Ukraine.”