New US military aid to Ukraine with spy drones

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The US Defense Department announced new security aid to Ukraine on Tuesday, including the delivery of air defense missiles, armored vehicles and small drones, as Kiev struggles to make expected progress in a retaliatory offensive launched last month.

For the first time, equipment manufactured by Teledyne FLIR Defense, a unit of Teledyne Technologies, includes Black Hornet surveillance drones.

The new aid from Washington, first reported by Reuters, also includes ammunition for Patriot air defense systems and advanced surface-to-air missile systems.

This is the 43rd security package for Ukraine approved by the United States, which has provided more than $43 billion in aid to Kiev since the start of the Russian offensive on February 24, 2022.

(Reporting by Mike Stone and Patricia Zengerle with Ismail Shakeel and Catherine Jackson; French edition Jean Terzien)