Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has implored Western allies to provide his country with military aid as Russia continues its unprovoked invasion.
“We need you right now,” Zelensky told US members of Congress in one of his latest pleas for assistance before a friendly government.
The US and other NATO member nations have fulfilled a number of Zelensky’s requests, while stopping short of certain measures they say could risk an escalation in the war.
The military aid provided to Ukraine so far includes weapons that range from portable drones to complex, long-range missile systems. Here’s what’s been sent:
Switchblade drones: Small, portable, so-called kamikaze drones that carry warheads and detonate on impact. The smallest model can hit a target up to six miles away, according to the company that produces the drones, AeroVironment. It’s unclear which size model the US will send to Ukraine.
Stinger anti-aircraft missiles: These heat-seeking, anti-aircraft missiles have a range of about five miles and 11,000 feet. Critically, Stinger missiles can distinguish between enemy and friendly aircraft.
Javelin anti-tank weapons: This guided missile system can be shoulder-fired by a single solider and has a range of up to 8,200 feet.
AT-4 anti-armor systems: These Swedish anti-armor weapons are “lightweight, single-shot and fully disposable,” according to the company that produces them, Saab Bofors Dynamics.
Patriot air defense missile system: The US also delivered two missile defense systems to Poland this month intended to deter Russia and boost Poland’s security amid Western concerns that the Ukraine conflict could spill into NATO-aligned nations.
The Patriot air defense missile system — Patriot stands for “Phased Array Tracking Radar to Intercept of Target” — is designed to counter and destroy incoming short-range ballistic missiles, advanced aircraft and cruise missiles.
The battery includes missiles and launching stations, a radar set that detects and tracks targets, and an engagement control station, according to the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance.
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