The US has been supporting Ukraine since Russia's invasion in February sparked an all-out war between the two forces.
But now, Washington has once again shown its support after a Pentagon statement released on Monday, Aug. 8, revealed that the US had sent a series of anti-radar missiles to help Ukraine's forces.
As reported first by Interesting Engineering, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl confirmed that the US has sent a "number" of antiradar missiles. However, he did not reveal the exact amount the country delivered and the certain type of these missiles.
But a defense official shed more light on this when he revealed to CNN that the systems were a series of AGM-88 High-Speed Antiradition Missile (HARM).
What Is HARM?
The AGM-88 HARM (high-speed antiradiation missile), according to the Military Analysis Network of the Federation of American Scientists, is a supersonic air-to-surface tactical missile intended to locate and eliminate adversary radar-equipped air defense installations.
Most importantly, the AGM-88 requires little effort from the aircrew to locate, engage, and destroy a target. It is also able to distinguish between a single target and a variety of environmental emitters.
The seeker head and fixed antenna of the proportional guiding system, which zeroes in on enemy radar emissions, are located in the missile's nose. The missile is propelled by a dual-thrust, smokeless, solid-propellant rocket motor.
HARM's Capabilities
According to the US Air Force, these Raytheon-made HARMs have a range of more than 30 miles, which makes them one of the longer-range weapons the US has given Ukraine.
The Russian anti-aircraft radar systems, such as the S-400, have made it very challenging for the Ukrainian Air Force to fly over substantial portions of Ukrainian airspace, and the missiles can be employed to target these systems, as noted by CNN.
Additionally, the missiles have the power to strike Russian counter-battery radars, which Russia employs to attack Ukrainian artillery.
The AGM-88 can also be used by the Navy and Marine Corps' F/A-18 and EA-6B aircraft. The F-16C is the only aircraft in the Air Force's current inventory that is capable of firing the AGM-88 due to the retirement of the F-4.
The guidance part of the B version has been upgraded to include better tactical software and electronically reprogrammable memory.
Biggest Package of US Weaponry
However, the use or acquisition of HARMs has not been publicly acknowledged by Ukraine.
But according to CNN, the remains of what appears to be the fin of a HARM missile that was aimed at a Russian site in Ukraine have just been depicted in open source accounts.
Kahl revealed the missiles during a briefing about the Pentagon's most recent arms package for Ukraine, which is by far the biggest package of US weaponry yet.
The main goal of the package was to provide ammunition for some of the important weapon systems that the US provided to Ukraine, such as the M777 howitzers, which have been a crucial weapon in the conflict in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine and many more.
Kahl claimed that Russia had committed 70,000-80,000 casualties of war, which included injured and killed people in the conflict.
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Written by Joaquin Victor Tacla
