US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin arrives for a hearing on the House of Representatives subcommittee on defense of appropriations on the Capitol Hill Department of Defense budget request in Washington, DC, USA, May 11, 2022. REUTERS / Julia Nikhinson
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WASHINGTON, May 23 (Reuters) – Copenhagen’s promise of Harpoon anti-ship missiles and a launcher for Ukraine, announced by the United States on Monday, is the first sign since Russia’s invasion in February that Kyiv will receive US-made weapons. striking range.
Ukraine is looking for more modern weapons such as air defense, anti-ship missiles and longer-range missiles, but so far most of the aid has been in short-range systems such as anti-tank weapons and Javelin artillery.
Harpoons manufactured by Boeing Co. (BA.N), can be used to push the Russian fleet out of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, allowing the resumption of exports of grain and other agricultural products.
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US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said he was “especially grateful to Denmark, which announced today that it would provide a Harpoon launcher and missiles to help Ukraine defend its coast.” Read more
Reuters reported on Thursday that the United States was working to help transfer more anti-ship capabilities over 100 kilometers to Ukraine as its ports were blocked by ships and mines. Read more
“This is an important and measured step in increasing the capabilities and operational intensity of Ukrainians against the Russians,” said Tom Karako, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and director of the missile defense project.
He added that the weapons “will put at risk high-value Russian ships attacking Ukraine from the Black Sea or elsewhere.” Sources in Congress and a U.S. official said Ukraine’s Neptune anti-ship missiles were in short supply, so Harpoons offered Ukraine more opportunities to push Russian ships back and launch demining operations.
With Harpoon missiles, Ukraine is likely to depend on other data targeting nations to use the systems effectively against long-distance ships, Karako said.
Several countries were ready to send spears to Ukraine, US officials and Congressional sources said. But a U.S. official said no nation wanted to be the first or only nation to send spears, fearing reprisals from Russia if a ship was sunk with a spear from their stockpile.
The Danish Ministry of Defense did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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Reports by Mike Stone in Washington, D.C. Additional reports by Stein Jacobsen in Copenhagen; Edited by Cynthia Ostermann
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