U.S. To Send Ukraine Counter-Drones To "Shoot Missiles Out Of The Sky" — Pentagon

Washington will provide Ukraine a counter-drone system that uses "small missiles essentially to shoot missiles out of the sky," top Pentagon officials said on Wednesday, TURAN's U.S. correspondent reports.

The VAPIRE counter-drone systems are included in the latest $3 billion U.S. security assistance package for Ukraine announced by the White House on Wednesday, Pentagon's undersecretary for policy Colin Kahl said.

Washington continues to train Ukrainian forces on all systems that the U.S. and NATO allies are providing, Kahl said. This training has been happening on a "rolling basis".

For training on systems included in the latest package of security assistance, the U.S. believes there is "time to train the Ukrainians on whatever system they are not familiar with," Kahl added.

Because the latest security assistance comes from Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative funding — meaning it will be sourced and produced by industry partners and not directly from Pentagon stockpiles of weapons — it could take "months to get on contract and one, two, three years in some instances to arrive in Ukraine," Kahl said.

The latest U.S. security assistance package for Ukraine is meant to demonstrate America's commitment to the beleaguered nation and prove to Putin that he cannot outlast the determination of Ukraine and the West in opposing Russia's brutal invasion, per the Pentagon officials.

Capabilities in the latest package include:

- Six additional National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS) with additional munitions for NASAMS;

- Up to 245,000 rounds of 155mm artillery ammunition;

- Up to 65,000 rounds of 120mm mortar ammunition;

- Up to 24 counter-artillery radars;

- Puma Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and support equipment for Scan

Eagle UAS systems;

- VAMPIRE Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems;

- Laser-guided rocket systems;

- Funding for training, maintenance, and sustainment.

The aid package was done "in close consultation with Ukrainians," according to Pentagon officials.

"We're really trying to be very deliberate and disciplined about what type of Ukrainian force matters in the next 12, 24, 36 months under any range of scenarios," Kahl said. "It could be a scenario in which the war continues. It could be a scenario in which the violence ebbs because there's an agreement, or because it just dies down a bit. But even in that instance, the Ukrainians are going to need to defend their territory and deter future aggression."

Per Pentagon's assessment, Russia's efforts in Ukraine "have not succeeded and will not succeed".

"And as we have made clear at every level of this administration, we are committed to sustained security assistance as Ukraine defends its sovereignty and territorial integrity. We are with Ukraine today and — alongside our allies and partners — we will stick with Ukraine over the long haul," Kahl said.

Russia has suffered tens of thousands of casualties in its war on Ukraine. They were driven from Kyiv and turned their attention to the eastern part of Ukraine. After some initial gains, Russian forces are bogged down, Kahl explained.

In Ukraine's south, Ukrainian soldiers have made progress in taking back territory Russia took in the initial phase of the war.

With failure all around Putin still "has not given up on his overall strategic objective of seizing most of Ukraine, toppling the regime, reclaiming Ukraine as part of a new Russian empire," Kahl added. "What he has done is lengthened his timeline and recognized that he is off-plan."

Putin's strategy now is to wait out the Ukrainians, and wait out Ukraine's allies and partners.

"That is why this almost $3 billion program is so important. This program directly challenges Putin's theory," Pentagon official added. "The Ukrainian people are united in opposing the invasion. Partners will continue to supply equipment, training and sustainment to Ukraine."

Alex Raufoglu

Washington D.C.