I am in Warsaw and was quite busy the last two weeks with the preparation for and then networking at the Heart of Europe International TV Festival... so I only found the time to work through two #Pentagon Ukraine Realignment papers.
So many new weapons for 🇺🇦 Ukraine 😃😃
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So let's begin with the coolest stuff - there is a classified Army emergency missile procurement for $187.4m... which it seems isn't GMLRS, as that is under another classified section: $71.3m of GMLRS are being acquired. So: if it isn't GMLRS... what could it be 😉
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Let's stay with missiles: $389.9m for Javelins - $148.5m for Javelins for Ukraine, and the rest to replace USMC TOW 2A/2B missiles delivered with the Bradleys.
Speaking of Bradleys: $681.6m for new M2A4 Bradleys, to free up additional M2A2 ODS and M113 for Ukraine, and also
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$61.9m Bradley ERA tiles to improve the armor of Ukraine's Bradleys and $9.8m spare parts. Also $215.7m for 25 × 137mm ammo for the Bradley's gun. This order doubles US 25mm ammo production for 2023.
Let's stay with ammo, as there is one amazing round on the way to Ukraine:
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Ammo:
• $146.3m small arms ammo (5.56mm, 7.62mm, 0.50)
• $28.5m 40mm M433 high-explosive dual-purpose grenades
• $29.2m M67 fragmentation, M18 colored smoke & M106 obscurant grenades
• $12.9m for a variety of USMC grenades
• $12.7m M112 and other demolition munitions,
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incl. 40 pound cratering demolition charges.
But the most amazing ammo on the way to Ukraine are a whoping $134.5m in M1147 rounds for Abrams tanks!
The M1147 is the US Army's most modern (!) round and specifically designed to ruthlessly butcher enemy infantry in trenches!
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Ukraine is also receiving M4A1 carbines, M240B machine guns, M2HB machine guns, M2A1 machine guns, 40mm Mk19 machine gun grenade launchers and M249 machine guns for $30.2m.
And $35.1m in night vision viewers and weapon night sights, as well as $16.5m thermal sights.
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Before I come to a huge air defense surprise, a look at artillery ammo:
• $72.2m charges, fuzes, primers
• $357.4m M795 155mm rounds
• $59.5m M982A1 Excalibur rounds
• $19.2m 60mm, 81mm, 120mm mortar rounds
• $13.4m for M326A1 to replace M25A1 mortars sent to Ukraine
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This is a Patriot battery's AN/MPQ-65 radar. It covers +/- 120 degrees; which is ok if you have a Patriot belt to protect your forces.
But Ukraine needs to cover 360 degrees around its cities and - surprise- the US delivered a whole bunch of extra AN/MPQ-65 radars to Ukraine,
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tripling the number of radars per battery! Now the Army is spending $130.4m to buy AN/MPQ-65A radars as replacement.
This explains why all russians attacks on Kyiv failed. Also the US sent Ukraine an extra $53m in AN/MPQ-64F1 Sentinel air defense radars for the NASAMS 2.
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The Pentagon also buys:
• $41.3 M88A2 Hercules ARVs
• $9.9m Special Operations Riverine Craft and $12.2 Light Tactical All-Terrain Vehicles (L-ATV), which were sent to Ukraine's Special Forces
• $10m M1132 Stryker mine rollers
• $16.7m M978A4 HEMTT fuel tankers
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• $0.5m M261 Hydra rocket pods
• $14.2m Hydra rockets
• $34.3m Mk 153 Shoulder-Launched Multipurpose Assault Weapon
• $14.8m AT-4 launchers and ammo
• $14.1m Mk 13 sniper rifles
• $104.9m JLTVs are being acquired to replace the armored Humvees sent to Ukraine
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And last but not least one more classified section: the US Navy has provided Ukraine with $80m worth of RIM-7 Sea Sparrow missiles for Ukraine's Buk air-defense missile launchers.
The legendary FrankenSAM is alive!!
I have seen it and it works :-)
In the next days I will
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try to find the time to work through the other three Pentagon Realignment files, with the weapons the Pentagon acquired in September.
So: stay tuned and Slava Ukraini!
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