The United States plans to increase military assistance to Ukraine to $300 million in 2020 and to supply Kiev anti-ship missiles and coastal defence. This is stated in the bill approved by the U.S. Senate Committee on armed services. In General, the document repeatedly stresses the need to counter Russia. Although the bill does not specify what arms Washington will deliver Kiev, experts believe that Americans can send a modification of the old Harpoon missile system developed in the 70-ies of the last century. In their view, support the Ukrainian military from the United States may aggravate the situation in the black sea and Azov regions, however, the real threat these weapons carry.

  • The rocket Harpoon
  • © U. S. Navy

The U.S. Senate proposes to allocate $300 million for military assistance to Ukraine. This is stated in the offers announced on the eve of the armed services Committee of the Senate on the defense budget in 2020. The document, which outlines the main provisions of the draft law on budget allocations for national defence, was posted may 23 on the website of the parliamentary Committee.

On the provision of military assistance to Ukraine is reported in the section devoted to the support of allies to promote “US interests around the world.”

It is noted that the bill “authorizes the allocation for assistance to Ukraine in the security sphere $300 million, of which $100 million is intended solely for the supply of lethal weapons, as well as expanding the range of categories of aid in the field of security in the supply of means of coastal defense and anti-ship missiles.”

Commenting on the provisions of the new bill, the Ukrainian Embassy in the US said that the proposal for military aid in 2020 “on $50 million in excess of the expenditure of the current year”.

As follows from the statement published on the official website of the Embassy in Facebook, Kiev considers the increase in military funding the result of “active interaction with the U.S. Congress and the Pentagon” and “increase confidence in the Ukraine”. The Ukrainian Embassy are confident that the money will go to “the fight against Russian aggression”. The bill on the U.S. defense budget for 2019 have yet to receive the support of the entire composition of the Senate, the house of representatives and be signed by President trump.

“$300 million is a relatively small amount in the magnitude of the problems facing the Armed forces of Ukraine, commented on RT proposal of the US Senate, chief editor of the magazine “national defense” Igor Korotchenko. — This is largely symbolic assistance.”

At the same time, according to the expert, “supplying anti-ship missiles for the Ukrainian Navy is a very serious step.”

“If that happens, expect a strong reaction in Russia, given the provocation that Ukraine has already taken,” — said the expert.

“Serious weapons”

The possibility of transfer to the Ukrainian party the American anti-ship complexes discussed in the media at the beginning of the current year on the background of the incident in the Kerch Strait.

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In particular, former US Ambassador to Ukraine and Director of the Atlantic Council John Herbst in the publication on its website of the analytical center called on Ukraine to supply older models of Harpoon anti-ship missiles, which are stored in U.S. warehouses since the 1970-ies. According to the former diplomat, this weapon “could be a problem for Russian ships” in the sea of Azov. Simultaneously, the United States, according to him, getting rid of old weapons, would reduce the costs of storing decommissioned systems. Also in an interview with “Radio Liberty”* Herbst said that Washington would offer Ukraine “and much more modern missiles”.

That Washington is prepared to supply Kiev complexes, then said ex-Deputy chief of the General staff of VSU the General-the Lieutenant of a stock Igor Romanenko.

American cruise missile Harpoon is the only anti-ship missile naval, ground and air-based, in service of the United States. Currently produced by the Boeing company.

A more modern rocket with the same features is the LRASM (Long Range Anti-Ship Missile — anti-ship missile high range). However, this product of the American defense industry is still in the testing stage. In December 2018 in the U.S. air force received the first prototypes of missiles, airborne, in 2019, the company will be allocated for testing missiles to naval aviation. About when can we expect a variant for shipborne even not reported.

  • Approximate appearance of the missiles LRASM
  • © lockheedmartin.com

According to experts, anti-ship missiles, referred to in the bill of the United States, is, with high probability, it is complex Harpoon as more Washington has nothing to offer.

“Missile Harpoon is the main anti-ship armament of us warships, — has explained in conversation with the RT, doctor of military Sciences captain first rank Konstantin Sivkov. — Missiles of the latest modification are unlikely to be provided to Ukraine. Most likely, there will be delivered the first missile modifications, with a range between 120 and 150 km, However it is also a serious weapon with good homing system. Missiles are at extremely low altitudes, they are difficult to bring down air defense systems”.

Anti-sight

As noted Konstantin Sivkov, the increase in investment in the Ukrainian defense and giving new APU arms connected with the desire United States to increase pressure on Russia.

“The US wants to make Ukraine a reliable satellite, to create the conditions to continued anti-Russian course, becoming close to us countries in watchdog USA”, — says the expert.

If Ukraine is mentioned in the new document of the Committee on armed services United States Senate only one time, Russia — 15. Along with China, Russia called a “strategic rival” of America, which undermines the global superiority of Washington in the military sphere and represents a major threat to “the security and prosperity of the United States.”

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Deterrence or opposition to “Russian aggression”, the US Senate and explains their plans for the continuation of military assistance to the Baltic countries and the expansion of American military presence in Poland in 2020. The concern of Washington is the nuclear potential of Russia and China and the possibility of lag in “technological competition” with these countries in the defense sector.

In addition, special attention to the document called for increased development of hypersonic weapons, 5G networks, artificial intelligence, and directed energy weapons.

The bill also obliges the BBC to “finally approve the best option fleet of fighters and bombers”, which will be located in the development of the strategic bomber B-21 and fighter-bomber of the fifth generation F-35 to counter a “strategic threat emanating from an equal opportunities rivals such as China and Russia.”

The initiators of the bill also offered to continue the policy of limiting military cooperation between Russia and the United States, to make a list of all the Russian academic institutions participating in defense programs, ostensibly to protect the American academic community from inappropriate influence from the Russian colleagues and to consider “pairing activities of China and Russia, the costs in the implementation of the tasks outlined in the national security Strategy of the United States”.

  • Reuters
  • © Leah Millis

Among the other items of the document, proposed by the American senators, — the prohibition of funding for the transfer of F-35 aircraft and associated intellectual property of Turkey in case of purchase of the Russian s-400, the withdrawal of funding withdrawal of American troops from Europe in the event of a US withdrawal from NATO and a ban to reduce American troops in South Korea before figures below 28.5 thousand

“To threaten Russia is not able to”

According to experts, Kiev is now paying special attention to missile systems. May 23, former Secretary of the national security Council and defence of Ukraine (NSDC) Oleksandr Turchynov said that in the near future, the Ukrainian military will conduct regular tests of the missile complex “Neptune” of its own design.

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As noted earlier, the new Ukrainian weapons based on the technology of the Soviet analogue of the Harpoon complex X-35. Earlier, the former adviser of the President of Petro Poroshenko Yuri Biryukov said that “Neptune” is able to fly about 300 km and can hit targets in the Sevastopol Bay, and he Poroshenko claimed that Ukraine has missiles with a range over 1000 km.

However, the US decision to provide arms may mean that this rocket is not so good, according to the official Kiev.

“If they have something developed, it would long ago have applied. Therefore, take the American” — said Sivkov.

According to the expert, possibility of application of American anti-ship weapons from the Ukrainian Navy are limited for another reason — “the Ukrainian Navy has no ships, you can install anti-ship missiles”. If they try to place on shore, the greatest danger they will pose to the civil courts in a small area of the sea of Azov. However, the Russian military will be able to protect critical infrastructure, said the expert.

  • Crimean bridge
  • © most.life

“The newest Russian naval anti-aircraft systems reliably hit missiles such as Harpoon”, — said Konstantin Sivkov. Previously about the futility of these systems to deal with the Russian Navy said the Chinese edition of “Phoenix”.

Igor Korotchenko said that the Ukrainian Navy at the moment is so weak that even the American weapons they would not increase.

“The situation in the Kerch Strait has shown that the current Ukrainian Navy is in a sorry state, its military potential is incomparable with the combat potential of the Russian black sea fleet, — said the military expert. — Ukraine can count on provocations and attempts to drag us into a conflict situation, but to threaten Russia not able to.”

* “Radio Liberty” — the media and is recognized as a foreign agent by decision of the Ministry of justice of the Russian Federation from 05.12.2017