In Photos: The American Weaponry And Hardware Being Sent To Ukraine
Eleven Mi-17 helicopters
These Soviet-designed choppers are used mostly for transport and can carry up to 24 troops or four tons of cargo, but some variants are fitted with machine guns and/or guided missiles.
Five hundred Javelin missiles and “thousands of other anti-armor systems”
U.S.-made Javelin missiles have already seen widespread use against Russian armor in the Ukraine conflict. The weapon allows for “fire and forget” attacks from up to 2.6 kilometers away. In these attacks, the missile guides itself to the selected target, meaning fighters can launch, then immediately seek cover. One launcher and missile costs $178,000 according to the Pentagon’s 2021 budget.
Ten AN/TPQ-36 counterartillery radars
This “weapon-locating radar” is used to spot incoming artillery and tracks a shell’s trajectory to calculate where the enemy projectile was fired from.
Two hundred M113 armored personnel carriers
These tracked vehicles saw widespread combat use in the Vietnam War but are now used by the United States mainly as support vehicles such as battlefield ambulances. The M113 can carry up to 15 passengers and uses lightweight aluminum armor, which protects only against small arms and shrapnel fragments.
Unspecified amount of C-4 explosives and “demolition equipment for obstacle clearing”
This plastic explosive can be molded like Play-Doh and has the explosive power to cut through steel such as railway lines. Ukrainian fighters have been filmed using explosives to destroy a railway bridge near the Russian border.
Three hundred Switchblade tactical unmanned aerial systems
These “suicide drones” weigh just 2.5 kilograms and can be quickly deployed from a mortar-like tube that pops them into the air. Switchblades use a live video feed to locate targets and are fitted with a grenade-sized warhead capable of killing enemy fighters and damaging nonarmored vehicles. The system is much faster and cheaper than calling in air support, with each drone costing an estimated $6,000. A larger version of the Switchblade is designed to destroy armored vehicles.
Unspecified number of M18A1 Claymore antipersonnel mines
These directional mines are filled with 700 pea-sized steel balls backed by a wall of explosive. When detonated, the steel pellets spray outwards faster than most rifle bullets.
Two AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel air surveillance radars
This radar system is designed to spot incoming aircraft, drones, and cruise missiles from up to 40 kilometers away.
One hundred armored high mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicles
The Humvee has become synonymous with the U.S. military. The low-slung vehicles are capable of being fitted with weaponry, including heavy machine guns or anti-tank missiles.
Eighteen 155-millimeter howitzers and 40,000 artillery rounds
It’s unclear which 155-millimeter howitzers from the U.S. arsenal will be supplied to Ukraine. The M198 model seen in this image first entered service in the U.S. military in the 1970s but suffered from several design flaws and has now been largely replaced by a newer version. The M198 howitzer has a range of more than 20 kilometers.
Unspecified number of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear protective suits
Such equipment would be vital in the aftermath of a nuclear or chemical weapons attack.
The Pentagon has also pledged to supply Ukraine with medical equipment, body armor and helmets, optical devices, laser rangefinders, and unspecified models of “unmanned coastal defense vessels.”