U.S., Spain Ship Air Defense Systems To Ukraine

The United States is shipping $725 million in military aid to Ukraine, including air defense systems, munitions, and vehicles as specified in a memorandum signed by US President Joe Biden, Kyiv Independent reported.

Photo Insert: The US and Spain are sending to Ukraine Hawk air defense systems.

Spain is also sending to Ukraine four Hawk air defense systems. Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said Spain would provide other anti-aircraft missiles to Kyiv. He thanked his Spanish counterpart, Margarita Robles for that.

"There are (even) more Hawks on the way," Reznikov said. "Today air defense is a priority not only for Ukraine but for all of Europe."

In a related development, Ukraine will find a solution to keep Starlink systems operating in the battlefield. On Oct. 14, Elon Musk’s SpaceX sent a letter to the Pentagon saying it can no longer continue to fund the Starlink service for Ukraine.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an advisor to the head of Ukraine’s Presidential Office, said he expects that Starlink will “provide stable connection by the end of negotiations.”

He added that “Elon Musk helped us survive the most critical moments of the war.” So far, roughly 20,000 Starlink satellite units have been donated to Ukraine.

The Pentagon is also assessing options to keep Ukraine connected to Starlink satellites. A senior defense official said the US is evaluating other measures to keep satellite communications operating 24 hours a day.

The US military has its own global communications systems that are crucial for surveillance, intelligence gathering and military operations

WEEKLY FEATURE : MVP Group Keeps Lights On During Pandemic