Politico: Ukraine asks US for Sentinel short-range radars

Kyiv wants short-range radars from the US for the holiday season as local officials brace for a difficult season of Russian missile strikes against civilian sites and energy infrastructure.

Specifically, Kyiv is looking for Sentinel short-range radars that are designed to track ballistic missiles, slower-moving drones and fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft — and a lot in-between, Politico reports, citing a person familiar with the US-Ukraine discussions.

According to the Ukrainian representatives, the request — though a far cry from the Abrams tanks, F-16s and Army Tactical Missile Systems that have led the list since the start of the war — is critical to getting through the winter.

The new radars would provide more coverage for parts of the country being battered by daily Russian strikes and could be used to protect factories where Ukrainians intend to build their own weapons, rather than import them, once they enlist the help of Western defence firms.