US military aid for Ukraine: Five key weapons in new package PHOTO

This week's $1.85 billion military aid package for Ukraine brings total American defense assistance for the beleaguered nation to more than $21 billion since Russia launched its attack on February 24.

There appears no end in sight, despite loud discontent on the populist edges of the Republican and Democratic parties, Newsweek reported on December 22.

"The American people are with you every step of the way," President Joe Biden told visiting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a press conference at the White House on Wednesday. "And we will stay as long as it takes," he added.

Zelenskyy unsurprisingly noted that Kyiv still needs more to emerge from the conflict victorious.

"Your money is not charity," he told lawmakers in his address to Congress. "It is an investment in global security and democracy that we handle in the most responsible way. You can speed up our victory. I know it. Let the world see that the United States are here."

US backing "is crucial, not just to stand in such a fight, but to get to the turning point to win on the battlefield," Zelenskyy added. "We have artillery, yes. We have it. Is it enough? Quite honestly, not really."

Here are five weapons from the latest aid package that will be especially welcome in Ukraine:

MIM-104 Patriot

The Patriot surface-to-air missile system is by far the most expensive single item provided to Ukraine since the start of the war, and one of the most advanced. The battery "will strengthen our air defense significantly," Zelenskyy said.

The PAC-3 missiles being delivered with the system can hit targets—aircraft, ballistic missiles, and drones—flying up to a ceiling of 50,000 feet at 12 miles, operating at Mach 5 (around 3,836 mph). Each PAC-3 missile costs $4 million. The Pentagon has declined to say how many missiles will be sent with the battery.

A senior Defense Department official told journalists on Wednesday the platform "is in a class of its own when it comes to air defense." It will, however, "take several months to ensure Ukrainian forces have the training they need to employ it successfully," the official said.

Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs)

The new package will include an undisclosed number of "precision aerial munitions," which the Pentagon later clarified means Joint Direct Attack Munitions. These are guidance kits to be installed on so-called "dumb," or unguided, bombs turning them into precision GPS-guided weapons.

JDAM kits are made up of a GPS seeker, an inertial navigation system, and a set of tail fins to be strapped onto the bomb. A dumb bomb—which Ukraine and Russian air forces have both largely relied on for strike missions—fitted with a JDAM can hit a target within accuracy 15 feet, and US forces have used the kits on bombs of up to 2,000 pounds.

Pilots launching strikes input target GPS coordinates and release the bomb, ideally then turning quickly away from the area of danger. JDAMs can be used at a maximum range of 15 miles, which is still well within the range of Russian anti-air systems.

HIMARS and Excalibur

The M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) changed the shape of the war when it was first introduced this summer, allowing Ukrainian forces to hit Russian positions with high precision and enormous power out to around 57 miles.

This week's package will include an undisclosed amount of additional ammunition for Ukraine's 20 HIMARS. Kyiv has another 10 equivalent systems from western allies—for example, the German MARS and British M270B1 variants—with 18 more HIMARS systems on order from the US

The latest package also includes 500 precision-guided 155mm artillery rounds, a reference to the Excalibur shell which one Ukrainian commander recently told Newsweek "has shown itself to be very effective, destroying vehicles from a distance and dealing heavy losses to the enemy."

The shells are effective out to a range of about 30 miles and can be programmed for air burst or penetration detonation.

AGM-88 HARM anti-radiation missiles

Ukraine has been using US-made high-speed anti-radiation missiles (HARMs) to destroy Russian anti-aircraft systems from long range. This week, Russia said it shot down four such missiles over its southern Belgorod region.

When HARMs first appeared in Ukraine this summer—spotted by open-source intelligence experts and later confirmed by the Pentagon—observers were impressed by the ability of the Ukrainian Air Force to fit the missiles on its Soviet-era fighter jets.

The HARM is relatively old, having been first deployed in 1983. The missile is 14 feet long, weighs 800 pounds and can hit targets out to 30 miles at a top speed of Mach 2 (around 1,535 mph). Its arrival in Ukraine added another level of difficulty for Russian anti-air operators who have failed to establish air superiority despite overwhelming Russian numerical superiority.

Cougars and Humvees

Ukrainian progress has slowed with the arrival of winter rains and mud. Amid the mid-winter freeze, both Ukraine and Russia will be looking to exploit frozen ground to launch fresh mechanized offensives and seize momentum.

Tanks and other armored vehicles will perform the breakthroughs, but lightly armored and reconnaissance vehicles will be vital in probing enemy lines and rushing through weak spots. Ukrainian troops have already shown their aptitude in exploiting their more numerous but slower opponents with flexible modern small-unit tactics and will be looking to do so again.

They will be aided by 37 additional Cougar mine-resistant ambush protected (MRAP) vehicles included in this week's aid package. Ukraine already operates 20 Cougars and an undisclosed number of the British Mastiff variant.

Another 120 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWV; colloquially known as Humvees) are also being sent to Ukraine out of US stocks.

These lightly armored vehicles were maligned for their lack of protection from IEDs during the US invasions and occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq. But hundreds of its modern, up-armored version have been helping Ukrainian forces push counter-offensives against the less mobile Russian invaders.