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​US Provides $725 Million Aid to Ukraine Including Anti-Personnel Mines and Atypical Drones

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RQ-11 Raven by AeroVironment / Photo credit: U.S. Marine Corps
RQ-11 Raven by AeroVironment / Photo credit: U.S. Marine Corps

The new U.S. aid package includes non-persistent land mines along with traditional munitions, as well as Raven UAVs

The United States has announced another arms aid package for Ukraine worth $725 million. It is allocated under the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) from the Defense Ministry's existing stockpile.

Most of the items in this package are focused on ammunition. In particular, it includes missiles for NASAMS SAM systems, which are fully compatible with F-16 aircraft, such as the AIM-9 and AIM-120 missiles, as well as Stinger MANPADS. As for artillery capabilities, ammunition for HIMARS, as well as 105-mm and 155-mm shells, will be transferred. The U.S. isalso sending small-caliber ammunition, TOW missiles as well as Javelin and AT-4 anti-armor systems.

Read more: Germany Reveals the HX-2 Drone for Ukraine, Nicknamed the Mini-Taurus (Video)
US Provides $725 Million Aid to Ukraine Including Anti-Personnel Mines and Atypical Drones, Defense Express
TOW missiles / Photo credit: US DoD

But this package for the first time contains a new wording - "non-persistent land mines". This term is used in U.S. Department of Defense regulations to refer to mines (mostly anti-personnel) that have a self-destruct mechanism and a deactivation function within a time frame that minimizes humanitarian risks.

This quite accurately describes Ukraine's previously unofficially announced reinforcement with anti-personnel mines. As Defense Express suggests, these are ADAM projectiles. In fact, this is 155-mm artillery ammunition equipped with 36 M67 or M72 anti-personnel mines, which differ only in their self-destruct time of 4 or 48 hours, respectively. If self-detonation does not occur, the battery that powers the detonator will run out within 14 days, eventually deactivating the mine.

US Provides $725 Million Aid to Ukraine Including Anti-Personnel Mines and Atypical Drones, Defense Express
M692/M731 155 mm projectile

The aid package also includes undeclared anti-UAV systems, UAVs, demining equipment, spare parts, etc. The quantitative details of the transferred weapons have not been disclosed, and a comparison of the two aid lists from November 20 and December 2 shows no difference.

We should also pay attention to another item on the list of UAVs transferred by the United States to Ukraine – a drone called Raven. It should be noted that the most famous American-made UAV under this name is the RQ-11 Raven by AeroVironment. This is a rather old reconnaissance drone that was created in the early 2000s.

US Provides $725 Million Aid to Ukraine Including Anti-Personnel Mines and Atypical Drones, Defense Express
RQ-11 Raven UAV / Photo credit: US. Army

It is a small drone with a wingspan of 1.4 meters and a takeoff weight of only 2.2 kg. It is hand-launched and can stay in the air for up to 60-90 minutes. At the same time, the communication range is indicated only up to 10 km. In terms of progress in drone technology over the past 20 years, the current capabilities of this drone are questionable.

Therefore, it is quite possible that some other company has decided to use a similar name for its UAV. Even though the RQ-11 Raven became the first widely deployed reconnaissance drone in its class and laid the groundwork for the use of UAVs in infantry formations, with its crews integrated at the company level.

As Defense Express earlier reported the German ministry of defense had announced the new package of military aid to Ukraine.

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