The New York Times, in its live update page for yesterday, reported that the Biden Administration has approved the transfer of multiple launch rocket systems to Ukraine. The launchers are thought to be the truck-based HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System), which could be armed with the M31 guided rocket. According to Wikipedia, the M31 has a range of up to 70 km. An unnamed official told the Times that the administration is seeking to make sure that the United States can reasonably make the argument that it is not providing Ukraine with the capability to strike deep into Russian territory.
According to the Times, each rocket carries an explosive load roughly equal to a 500 lb air dropped bomb and so a salvo of six such rockets, the maximum that a single HIMARS can fire, would have a devastating effect on the target. The intention, here, is clearly to create the impression of another game-changer coming to Ukraine.
As for other transfers in the weapons pipeline, the Russian website Avia.pro reported a rumor yesterday that Bulgaria had transferred to Ukraine up to 14 Su-25 attack aircraft, some of which had been modernized in Belarus as recently as a year-and-a-half ago. Rather than being flown in, they were reportedly transferred into Ukraine overland. Avia.pro suggests, however, that the effectiveness of the use of these attack aircraft remains extremely low, since strikes are delivered blindly from low altitudes so as to avoid Russian air defense systems.
Meanwhile, Reuters reported yesterday that the U.S. Army has signed a $687 million contract with Raytheon to produce a new batch of Stinger anti-aircraft missiles to replace those sent to Ukraine. The contract for a total of 1,468 Stingers was awarded Wednesday (May 25), according to a document reviewed by Reuters. There was no timeline for completion of the work, but it was estimated delivery could take up to 30 months. There is currently only one production line for the Stinger, located in Arizona, and it produces at a very low rate.
