US arms aid package includes HAWK air defense units, new rockets

The military aid package is worth $2.175 billion.

 Ukrainian service members ride a previously captured Russian armoured personnel carrier in the village of Blahodatne, retaken by the Ukrainian Armed Forces a day ago, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kherson region, Ukraine November 11, 2022 (photo credit: REUTERS/VALENTYN OGIRENKO)
Ukrainian service members ride a previously captured Russian armoured personnel carrier in the village of Blahodatne, retaken by the Ukrainian Armed Forces a day ago, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kherson region, Ukraine November 11, 2022
(photo credit: REUTERS/VALENTYN OGIRENKO)

The United States said on Friday it would send $2.175 billion worth of military aid for Ukraine including precision-guided rockets and HAWK air defense firing units, as well as other munitions and weapons.

 A new rocket that would double Ukraine's strike range for the first time in its war with Russia was included in a more than $2.175 billion military aid package to be sent by the United States, a US official said on Friday.

"As part of the USAI package, we will be providing Ground Launched Small Diameter Bomb to Ukraine," Brigadier General Patrick Ryder told a news briefing. USAI stands for Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI).

Friday's aid package opens the door to many more deliveries of Ground Launched Small Diameter Bombs (GLSDB), which have a range of 94 miles, according to a document seen by Reuters.

When the new rockets arrive, it will mark the first time Ukraine has seen its rocket range grow exponentially since US furnished High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) arrived in Ukraine in late-June 2022.

View of a mine-warning sign as a Ukrainian service member demonstrates clearing a minefield using a remote control for the Armtrac 400 demining machine, capable of clearing 2,400 square metres per hour, amid Russia's invasion, in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine October 27, 2022. (credit: REUTERS/CLODAGH KILCOYNE)
View of a mine-warning sign as a Ukrainian service member demonstrates clearing a minefield using a remote control for the Armtrac 400 demining machine, capable of clearing 2,400 square metres per hour, amid Russia's invasion, in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine October 27, 2022. (credit: REUTERS/CLODAGH KILCOYNE)

HIMARS sent last year were instrumental in Ukraine's counter offensive against Russian forces, which invaded on Feb. 24, 2022.