On May 2, 2023, the United States is expected to announce another package of defense assistance for the Armed Forces of Ukraine worth $300 million. The package will be provided under the Presidential Drawdown Authority. The weapons are transferred directly from reserves, according to Reuters.
![The Hydra-70 short-range air-launched unguided rocket on the UH-1Y Hue helicopter Defense Express](/media/contentimages/49d64524d075efa3.jpg)
The package includes 155mm artillery systems, ammunition for these systems, the M142 HIMARS rockets, mortar systems, and other equipment, the media states.
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For the first time, the U.S. is sending the Hydra-70 short-range air-launched unguided rockets. These rockets can “could help Ukraine weaken russian ground positions and provide advancing Ukrainian Ground Forces with air support as Kyiv plans a spring offensive”.
Should be noted that it is specifically the transfer of the aviation variant of the Hydra-70 rocket because Ukrainian military is already actively using these rockets from ground systems combined with the AGR-20 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS), which transforms an unguided rocket into a high-precision munition. Defense Express previously reported on these systems. Furthermore, these are 70mm unguided rockets, the media specifies.
The Hydra-70 rocket is an unguided rocket primarily used for the destruction of ground targets. It is utilized by a variety of helicopters, including the UH-60 Black Hawk, AH-1 Cobra, AH-1Z Viper, AH-64 Apache, Eurocopter Tiger, and T-129 ATAK, as well as aircraft such as the OV-10 Bronco, A-10 Thunderbolt II, F-16 Fighting Falcon, F/A-18 Hornet, and others.
The effective firing range of this rocket is 8 km, with a maximum range of 10.5 km (11 km). The rocket is compatible with a range of launchers, including the M260 and M261, LAU-130/A and LAU-131/A, as well as LAU-68D/A and LAU-61C/A.
Recently, it became known that the Armed Forces of Ukraine had already received another type of unguided aviation weaponry from the United States – the unguided 127mm air-to-surface rockets of the Zuni class, which were spotted alongside the Su-25 attack aircraft of the Ukrainian Air Force. The transfer of 4,000 rockets was announced.
Read more: How Many Munitions Has the U.S. Provided to Ukraine