Hydra 70 rockets next to an AGM-114 Hellfire. Wiki Commons
Originally published on ZeroHedge
The White House unveiled a new $300 million arms package for Ukraine this week, which uses the Presidential Drawdown Authority, meaning yet more Pentagon stockpiles will be depleted.
The funds continue to be drawn from the $45 billion aid package Congress authorized in December, but a key new item in this particular package is the Hydra-70 rocket. It marks the first time that the unguided missile which is usually fired from aircraft as an air-to-ground missile has been authorized.
Additionally, more howitzers, artillery rounds, and projectiles for HIMARS rockets systems will be included in the new package which was announced Wednesday.
According to a description of the Hydra-70 weapon system produced by General Dynamics:
Hydra-70 rocket systems are a range of 2.75-inch, or 70 mm, unguided air-to-surface rockets, described by defense manufacturer General Dynamics as “a lethal and lightweight weapon system with multi-mission capability.”
The system can use nine different warheads, providing what General Dynamics called a “tailor-made solution” to the operator’s needs. They are an “affordable” way of zeroing in on “lower-value targets on the battlefield,” the defense contractor said.
They are fired from aircraft, and are compatible with the likes of the Apache helicopter and the F-16 fighter jet, General Dynamics said. It is the world’s most commonly used helicopter-launched weapon system, according to the military website Army Technology.
In Ukraine’s case, Hydra-70 rockets will likely be launched from helicopters, but the F-16 continues to be debated among Western allies as a possible future aircraft for Ukraine’s air force, but is not yet approved, also given the training process would be lengthy.
Image: US Army
The Pentagon has listed the weapons which make up the newly approved $300 million package as follows:
- Additional ammunition for HIMARS
- 155mm Howitzers
- 155mm artillery rounds
- 120mm, 81mm, and 60mm mortar rounds
- Tube-Launched, Optically-Tracked, Wire-Guided (TOW) missiles
- AT-4 and Carl Gustaf anti-armor weapon systems
- Hydra-70 aircraft rockets
- Small arms and small arms ammunition
- Demolition munitions for obstacle clearing
- Trucks and trailers to transport heavy equipment
- Testing and diagnostic equipment to support vehicle maintenance and repair
- Spare parts and other field equipment
In the meantime, further escalation is in the air given Ukraine has grown more brazen in launching drone attacks inside Russian territory, including this week’s drone attack on the Kremlin, which the Russian government denounced as a “terrorist assassination attempt” against President Putin.
