Himars, Stingers and Javelins among latest $125m US aid package for Ukraine

The United States will be sending another military aid package to Ukraine, this one worth $125m.

The announcement, which marks the Biden administration's 63rd tranche of equipment sent to Ukraine since 2021, will provide a number of assets including air defence capabilities, multi-mission radars to detect and counter enemy artillery and anti-tank weapons.

Also included will be Stinger missiles and ammunition for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (Himars).

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Himars is a light multiple rocket launcher system that was developed in the 1990s for the US Army.

It is also one of the most significant weapons sent by the West to Ukraine.

In June, the Ukrainian armed forces launched a rocket artillery strike inside Russian territory, using American-supplied weapons for the first time.   The weapons used in the attack were Himars, with the precision-guided rockets hitting a target in the city of Belgorod.

Also included in the US aid package are multi-mission radars, tube-launched, optically tracked and wire-guided (TOW) missiles, AT-4 anti-armour systems and High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) ambulances.

The US is also sending small arms ammunition, demolitions equipment and munitions, equipment to protect critical national infrastructure and spare parts, ancillary equipment, services, training and transportation. 

The US Department of Defence said it would continue to work with its allies to ensure Ukrainian personnel got what they needed to fight the Russian aggression.

News of the package comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the arrival of F-16 fighter jets after more than 29 months since Russia's full-scale invasion. 

The jets were at the top of Ukraine's wish list because of their formidable destructive power and global availability.

The aid package comes amid fears that support for Ukraine could decline if Donald Trump wins the upcoming US election.

Republican Senator JD Vance, Mr Trump's running mate, has been a vocal critic of providing aid to the Ukrainian war effort.