White House Sending Mi-17 Helicopters, Radar To Ukraine

An Afghan air force Mi-17 helicopter sits on the flight line before an aerial training mission with U.S. soldiers. [Courtesy: Department of Defense]

The U.S. is sending four Mi-17 helicopters, five counter-artillery radars, and two air surveillance radars to Ukraine, as part of a $700 million package of military aid that also includes tactical vehicles and anti-armor weapons, the White House announced.

The aid package announced Wednesday is the eleventh drawdown of equipment from U.S. defense inventories since Russia invaded Ukraine, and increases the total assistance from the U.S. to $4.6 billion since the onset of fighting on February 24.

Friday, June 3 marks the 100th day of the conflict that has resulted in at least 9,151 civilian casualties, including at least 4,169 deaths, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said Thursday.

"The people of Ukraine continue to inspire the world with their courage and resolve as they fight bravely to defend their country and their democracy against Russian aggression," President Joe Biden said Monday in announcing the aid. "The United States will stand with our Ukrainian partners and continue to provide Ukraine with weapons and equipment to defend itself."

READ MORE: ‘Whole World’ Wants To Buy Ukraine’s Bayraktar Combat Drones: Report

As of June 1, the U.S. has committed the following in military aid to Ukraine, according to the Department of Defense:

More than 1,400 Stinger anti-aircraft systems;
Over 6,500 Javelin anti-armor systems;
More than 20,000 other anti-armor systems
Over 700 Switchblade tactical unmanned aerial systems
108 155mm Howitzers and over 220,000 155mm artillery rounds
90 Tactical Vehicles to tow 155mm Howitzers
15 Tactical Vehicles to recover equipment
High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems and ammunition
20 Mi-17 helicopters
Hundreds of Armored High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles
200 M113 armored personnel carriers
Over 7,000 small arms
Over 50,000,000 rounds of small arms ammunition
75,000 sets of body armor and helmets;
121 Phoenix Ghost Tactical Unmanned Aerial Systems
Laser-guided rocket systems
Puma unmanned aerial systems
Unmanned coastal defense vessels
22 counter-artillery radars
Four counter-mortar radars
Four air surveillance radars
M18A1 Claymore anti-personnel munitions
C-4 explosives and demolition equipment for obstacle clearing
Tactical secure communications systems
Night vision devices, thermal imagery systems, optics, and laser rangefinders
Commercial satellite imagery services
Explosive ordnance disposal protective gear
Chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear protective equipment
Medical supplies to include first aid kits
Electronic jamming equipment
Field equipment and spare parts

READ MORE: U.S. To Send ‘Ghost’ Combat Drones To Ukraine

News of the latest round of aid comes as the Biden Administration is shoring up plans to also sell four MQ-1C Gray Eagle combat drones to Ukraine, according to Reuters. The proposal, which is not yet a done deal, could be presented to Congress in the coming days.

"Generally the MQ-1C is a much larger aircraft with a max takeoff weight around three times that of the Bayraktar-TB2, with commensurate advantages in payload capacity, range, and endurance," drone expert Dan Gettinger with the Vertical Flight Society told Reuters.

The advanced combat drones have the capability to carry up to eight Hellfire missiles. Larger drones, like the U.S. Army’s General Atomics MQ-1 Gray Eagle unmanned aircraft systems and the U.S. Air Force’s variant, the MQ-1 Predator, could provide armed ISR capabilities with added features of automatic takeoff and landing.

“The effect they could yield is pretty substantial,” Doug Birkey, executive director, Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, told FLYING in March. “It would be a big force multiplier.”