The Defense Forces of Ukraine can expect new reinforcements with weapons, military equipment, and ammunition from partner nations. On November 20, the United States announced a new weapons package under the PDA (Presidential Drawdown Authority) program, which allows direct transfers from U.S. stockpiles.
The latest tranche of American weapons, the second in November, is valued at $275 million and includes:
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- Ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS);
- 155mm and 105mm artillery ammunition;
- 60mm and 81mm mortar rounds;
- Unmanned Aerial Systems;
- Tube-launched, Optically tracked, Wire-guided (TOW) missiles;
- Javelin and AT-4 anti-armor systems;
- Small arms and ammunition;
- Demolitions equipment and munitions;
- Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear protective equipment; and
- Spare parts, ancillary equipment, services, training, and transportation.
Thus, regarding the U.S. aid package, it represents the traditional "ammunition-focused" package, with no specific details about quantities or even the types of weapons included. For instance, the types of UAVs are unspecified, and the HIMARS munitions might potentially include ATACMS.
Secondly, also today, the German government updated the list of weapons already delivered, which had not been updated since October 17. Over nearly a month, the following items have been transferred to Ukraine:
- 4 PzH 2000 self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine.
- 1 TRML-4D radar to Ukraine.
- 3 Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft systems to Ukraine.
- 40 UAV detection systems to Ukraine.
- 47 unspecified MRAPs, 20 Dingo armored vehicles, and 8 Caracal light off-road vehicles to Ukraine.
- 2 Biber bridge-laying vehicles and 3 Wisent 1 engineering vehicles to Ukraine.
- Germany also supplied drones of various types, small arms with ammunition, trailers, and other equipment to Ukraine.
Regarding drones from Germany, the delivery includes reconnaissance UAVs, specifically 20 Vector, 12 Hornet XR, 100 RQ-35 Heidrun, 100 Songbird, 60 Golden Eagle, and 2 VT-4 Ray. Additionally, it includes 30 ground drones of the Gereon RCS model, which are being supplied for the first time.
Gereon Robotic Carrier System (Gereon RCS) was developed by the German company ARX Landsysteme. The prototype, weighing 450 kg, was designed as a small, modular, multi-functional UGV operating on the principle of plug and play.
Due to its size (141.5 cm × 131 cm × 73 cm), Gereon RCS is designed to fit in most vehicles.
The maximum payload of the UAV is 600 kg, with a range of 40 km and a speed of 20 km/h. It is equipped with two GPS receivers and a set of LIDAR sensors. Thanks to LIDAR, Gereon RCS will be able to map the area. Built-in modules provide intelligent functions that support moving along a previously planned route or in follow-on mode (behind a specific object, for example, a soldier carrying a wireless controller or another vehicle). The vehicle in autonomous mode is also capable of avoiding terrain obstacles.
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