WASHINGTON — The 155mm howitzer is not a complicated weapon. It is a towed cannon, a design that has been in service with the U.S. Army since World War II. But for the Ukrainian army, 18 of them represent something new. They are the first American artillery pieces sent into the war.
On April 14, President Joe Biden approved an $800 million military assistance package for Ukraine. The package includes those 18 howitzers and 40,000 artillery rounds. It also contains 300 Switchblade armed drones, 500 Javelin anti-tank missiles, and 11 Soviet-era Mi-17 helicopters originally slated for Afghanistan. Two air surveillance radars and 10 counter-artillery radars are in the shipment, along with armored personnel carriers, armored Humvees, and naval drone vessels for coastal defense. Gear to protect soldiers from chemical, biological, nuclear, and radiological attacks is also included.
The artillery piece is the real news here. For weeks, the United States sent Ukraine anti-tank missiles, drones, and small arms. Those weapons helped stall the Russian advance on Kyiv. But the war is shifting. Russian forces withdrew from the north and are regrouping for a new offensive in eastern Ukraine. That fight will be different. Open terrain. Long-range fire. Armor on armor. The howitzer is built for that.
The 155mm howitzer fires a shell that weighs nearly 100 pounds. It can hit targets 15 to 20 miles away. Ukrainian forces have been using Soviet-era 152mm artillery. The American guns use a different caliber, which creates a logistics problem — the Ukrainians will need a separate supply chain for ammunition. The package includes 40,000 rounds, but that will not last long in a sustained artillery duel. Still, the decision to send them signals a shift in American thinking. The Pentagon is now betting on a long war of attrition in the east.
The helicopters tell a different story. The 11 Mi-17s were purchased for the Afghan air force. After the U.S. withdrawal last year, the helicopters sat in storage. Now they are going to Ukraine. They are transport helicopters, not attack gunships. They can move troops and supplies. They can also evacuate wounded. The Ukrainians already fly Mi-17s, so training will be minimal.
The Switchblade drones are another piece of the puzzle. These are small, tube-launched aircraft that carry a warhead. A soldier launches one, flies it to a target, and detonates it on impact. The 300 in this package are a mix of models. Some are designed to hit personnel. Others are built to destroy armored vehicles. The Ukrainians have used them effectively in the north. They will need them in the east, where Russian columns will be harder to ambush.
The total value of U.S. security assistance committed to Ukraine since the February 24 invasion now stands at $2.6 billion. That number includes previous packages. This one is the largest single tranche. It is also the first to include American artillery.
The war has entered a new phase. The Russian offensive in the east is expected to begin soon. The Ukrainians are digging in. The howitzers will arrive in days, not weeks. The Pentagon is moving fast. The question is whether it is fast enough.
