The US has redirected anti-drone missile components from Ukraine to the Middle East
The Trump administration is redirecting key missile components originally intended for Ukraine to the Middle East for the US military, according to The Wall Street Journal. According to the publication, last week the Pentagon secretly notified Congress that the fuses for missiles used by Ukraine to destroy Russian drones will now be sent to US Air Force units.
The Pentagon informed the US Senate Armed Services Committee that the US military’s need for fuses is “an urgent issue identified by the Secretary of Defense.”
The publication notes that the day before, US Defense Secretary Pete Hagert missed a meeting at NATO headquarters with European defense ministers to discuss the coordination of military aid to Ukraine.
Sources at the building claim that the Pentagon has such authority under last year’s emergency military spending bill. Opponents of such a move in Congress argue that the Pentagon has not explained how this will affect Ukraine’s defense and whether the US Air Force’s need is really so urgent.
“This technology is crucial and vital for Ukraine’s layered air defense against Russian attacks <… > But there is also an urgent need to protect American personnel and bases in the Middle East from drone attacks by the Houthis and, possibly, Iran,” said Celeste Wallander, who served as deputy secretary of defense for international security in the Biden administration.
The fuses are designed for the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System. The US has been supplying this technology to Ukraine for several years, and it has been used in ground-based missile systems to defend against Russian drones, the WSJ writes. At the same time, the US Air Force has adapted these missiles to be launched from F-16 and F-15E fighter jets against drones. This system is cheaper than Sidewinder and AMRAAM, the publication notes.
