JAKARTA - United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said the Pentagon would send four more units of the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) or M-142 HIMARS to Ukraine.
Defense Secretary Austin made the announcement as he hosted a virtual meeting of the Ukraine Contact Group, a coalition of nearly 50 countries that helped Kyiv deal with the Russian invasion.
Defense Minister Austin further explained that a new full aid package for Ukraine is planned to be launched this weekend. With this additional plan, later the number of HIMARS that will be owned by Ukraine will reach 16 units.
"Ukraine has used [Himars] very effectively," he said, noting that the rockets had 'made a difference on the battlefield'.
HIMARS is a mobile unit that can simultaneously launch multiple precision-guided missiles. Russia also operates multiple rocket launchers, but Himars has superior range and precision, with its rockets capable of flying as far as 80 kilometers.
Long-range rocket fire was seen as important as Russian and Ukrainian forces fired them in brutal artillery and missile battles across relatively open terrain in the eastern Donbas region.
In addition to providing assistance to HIMARS units, Washington has also provided training on how to operate these advanced weapons, for more than 100 Ukrainian soldiers.
"Our help makes a real difference on the pitch," said Defense Minister Austin.
However, Russia has made significant progress in the Donbas where fighting has decimated Ukrainian forces.
Nearly six months after the war began, Austin said Russia had made a series of miscalculations, pointing to Moscow's failure to seize Kyiv and much of the rest of Ukraine.
"Russia tried to overthrow the democratically elected government of Ukraine, and they failed. And then Russia retooled and thought they could easily seize the Donbas and they failed," he explained, blaming Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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"Putin has consistently overestimated Russia's military prowess and he has consistently underestimated the power of free peoples fighting to defend their homeland."
Russia has insisted that the war, which it calls a "special military operation", is proceeding as planned and has threatened to target shipments of western weapons to Ukraine, including Himars.
The upcoming US aid package will also include guided artillery munitions, tactical vehicles, and other urgent support, the Pentagon said. So far, the US has provided about $6.9 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.
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