A new $1.1 billion weapons package will more than double the number of HIMARS Ukraine has to hammer key Russian positions

The new US security assistance package will double the number of HIMARS Ukraine has on the battlefield.

According to the Pentagon, the new weapons package includes 18 US-made M142 Himars.

The rocket systems can hit targets 50 miles away. In the last few months, the Ukrainian armed forces have been able to use the 16 HIMARS currently in its arsenal to destroy key Russian positions.

The lightweight, truck-mounted multiple rocket systems can fire six missiles before moving to a different location.

In June, Ukraine celebrated the arrival of the much-awaited HIMARS, and it has since hailed the weapons as a game-changer in its seven-month long war against Russian forces. Military experts praised the effectiveness of the missiles used by the Ukrainians to strike Russian targets.

—Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) September 23, 2022

150 Armored High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles, or humvees, 150 tactical towing vehicles, 80 trailers and 40 trucks are included in the substantial weapons package.

AP Photo/Roman Koksarov

The Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative funds the purchase of new weapons over the long term instead of the Presidential Drawdown Authority which has been used in the past and quickly pulls from existing Pentagon stockpiles. It's not clear how long it will take for the systems to arrive.

According to a Pentagon official, the US has committed over $16.2 billion in security assistance for Ukraine since the Russian invasion. The weapons bundle in August was the largest collection of military aid of the war to date.

Since the beginning of September, Ukrainian forces have pushed a counteroffensive along the war's eastern and southern fronts, making advances which have freed thousands of square miles of territory that were previously under Russian control.

In a move that appeared to be triggered by weeks of battlefield setbacks, Russian President Vladimir Putin last week announced the partial military deployment of his country's reserve troops. Desperate to avoid being sent to war in Ukraine, many Russians have tried to flee the country in a variety of ways.