US to send Excalibur precision-guided artillery munitions to Ukraine

The US has announced it will send a slew of new weapons to Ukraine as part of a $775 million package, including new drones, armored vehicles and artillery, Report informs via Politico.

The shipments indicate that Washington and Kyiv expect hard fighting on the ground in the coming weeks.

For the first time, the US is sending 15 ScanEagle surveillance drones to help the Ukrainians spot and correct the precision artillery and rocket strikes that have taken a toll on Russian forces in recent weeks. The small drones can be moved around the battlefield relatively easily and would be invaluable in the expected push to retake the city of Kherson in the south.

The equipment being sent for the first time includes 40 heavily armored MaxxPro mine-resistant vehicles, originally developed for US forces in Iraq during the height of the fighting there when roadside bombs were taking a heavy toll on US forces. In Ukraine, they will clear roads and fields before ground troops push forward, creating paths through dense minefields laid by the Russians.

Also new are TOW guided anti-tank missile systems, sixteen 105mm howitzers and 36,000 rounds, and 2,000 rounds for the Carl Gustaf recoilless rifle, a small anti-armor weapon used by US special operations forces. The Carl Gustaf, which can be carried easily and is designed to work in close quarters with an enemy, is an indication that the Ukrainians expect close-in fighting in the coming weeks.

The US is also sending more fighter-launched High-speed Anti-Radiation Missiles that have targeted Russian radar systems, a key capability in disrupting the Russian’s ability to detect new Ukrainian movements and control their own forces.

A person familiar with deliberations told POLITICO that the US is also planning to send Excalibur precision-guided artillery munitions in an upcoming tranche at some point in the future. Those weapons were not included in this tranche. The rounds would give the Ukrainians a new precision weapon to target dug-in Russian positions and command posts.

Ukraine’s officials say its military is focusing on striking targets deep in Moscow-held territory inside sovereign Ukrainian lands.