US likely to send Ukraine the AGM-154 glide weapon for its F-16s as part of a new $375M aid package: report
The US is likely to send Ukraine AGM-154 glide munitions, Politico reported.
The AGM-154 would be a boost to Ukraine’s strike capabilites.
It would come as part of a $375 million military aid package.
The US will likely send Ukraine an unspecified number of AGM-154 glide munitions as part of a new $375 million aid package, Politico reported, citing two US officials and a person familiar with the matter.
While the contents of the package are still subject to change, the people said, it will likely also include air defense missiles, rockets, and artillery weaponry.
The package is expected to be announced on Monday, per Politico.
The AGM-154, also known as the Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW), is a “precision strike weapon” manufactured by the Raytheon Company.
It is a 1,000-pound class air-to-surface missile that can hit targets up to around 70 miles away, providing Ukraine with a significant boost to its strike arsenal.
While the JSOW does not have the long-range strike capability of air-launched missiles like the UK’s Storm Shadow or the US’s coveted AGM-158 Joint Air-to-surface Stand-off Missile (JASSM), it will still enable Ukraine to target Russian forces and air defenses from safer distances. The Storm Shadow has a range of about 250 km (155 miles), while the JASSM can hit targets around 230 miles away.
The JSOW is operated by both the US Air Force and Navy and comes in a number of variants.
The standard version, known as the AGM-154A, is generally used against “fixed and relocatable soft targets such as parked and revetted aircraft, trucks, armored personnel carriers and surface-to-air missile sites,” according to the Navy.
News of the impending aid package comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was “actively preparing for negotiations in the US,” which he said would include a meeting with President Joe Biden and likely with election candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris.
“Ukraine will always be grateful to the United States for supporting our independence—for all the assistance provided to help us withstand this war,” Zelenskyy added on X.
Business Insider contacted the US Department of Defense for comment.
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