United to win: US sends 110 km-range bombs for F-16 jets to Ukraine in new aid package

Photo: Ruslan Kaniuka

Ulyana Guz

The US has included American Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) glide bombs, which are capable of striking targets up to 110 km away, in its latest aid package to Ukraine.

ABC News reports this.

A spokesperson from the Pentagon stated that this marks the first occasion in which the Ukrainian military will receive JSOW glide bombs as a component of the $375 million aid package.

These bombs can be installed on F-16 fighter jets, which Ukraine received.

The bombs have retractable wings that help them reach targets up to 70 miles (about 110 km) away. There are several versions of the JSOW, but the ones sent to Ukraine, according to a US official, are equipped with cluster munitions.

ABC sources also report that the US will soon allocate more than $2 billion in aid to Ukraine under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI).

Unlike the $350 million package, which sends weapons from existing US stockpiles to Ukraine, USAI funds are used for aid procurement contracts that could take months or years to complete. According to the official, the new aid will primarily be used to purchase ammunition for Ukraine.

For reference:

JSOW can be mistakenly called a missile. In fact, it is an inconspicuous, high-precision glide bomb weighing approximately 500 kg.

^{Photo: Shutterstock}

The main distinction is that a missile can be launched, while an aerial bomb is intended to be dropped from an aircraft. Experts anticipate that the Ukrainian military will likely rely on JSOW from a distance of several dozens of kilometers, given Russia's strong air defense and dominance in the sky.

The JSOW bomb's cluster version is equipped with 145 submunitions, each weighing 1.5 kg. These submunitions deliver a combined impact of cumulative and fragmentation effects.

It should be noted that the White House announced the allocation of a new aid package of 375 million dollars for the Ukrainian army. The package includes bombs, ammunition for HIMARS, artillery shells, missiles, anti-tank systems, M1117 armored personnel carriers, and other equipment.

Earlier, the mass media reported that Ukraine will receive medium-range aerial bombs for F-16 fighters from the USA for the first time.

US President Joe Biden called on UN member states to tirelessly support Ukraine in helping it win the war and preserve its freedom.

The White House asked to add the funding extension to the permanent resolution by Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, as the funds are scheduled to expire at the end of the month.

As previously reported, in April, US President Joe Biden signed a law that allowed more than $60 billion to be transferred to support Ukraine. As of the beginning of September, more than 6 billion dollars remained unused from the total package. The US administration must spend these 6 billion dollars on military aid to Ukraine by the end of the month or risk losing these funds.

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