Ukraine’s envoy urges US to provide decommissioned Hellfire missiles

Ukraine’s Ambassador to the United States, Valeriy Zaluzhny, believes that Ukraine could make use of outdated and decommissioned American missiles, which would even allow Washington to save on their disposal.

“The United States currently has significant stocks of outdated or ready-for-disposal missiles, the transfer of which to Ukraine could be an effective solution,” he noted in an article, Caliber.Az reports via Ukrainian media. 

“By the end of 2023, the U.S. produced over 170,000 Hellfire missiles of various modifications. A large portion of these munitions were manufactured between 1998 and 2018, and their service life usually lasts 20-25 years, after which they are officially retired or disposed of.”

Zaluzhny pointed out that Hellfire missiles will soon become obsolete technologically as well, since the U.S. is transitioning to a new type of air-to-ground missile, the JAGM, which is intended to fully replace the Hellfire.