{"id":1354491,"date":"2022-03-02T08:13:21","date_gmt":"2022-03-02T13:13:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1354491"},"modified":"2022-03-02T08:24:12","modified_gmt":"2022-03-02T13:24:12","slug":"u-s-set-to-send-anti-aircraft-stinger-missiles-to-ukraine-as-fears-of-russian-air-dominance-grow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/u-s-set-to-send-anti-aircraft-stinger-missiles-to-ukraine-as-fears-of-russian-air-dominance-grow\/","title":{"rendered":"U.S. Set to Send Anti-Aircraft Stinger Missiles to Ukraine as Fears of Russian Air Dominance Grow"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">32<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fu-s-set-to-send-anti-aircraft-stinger-missiles-to-ukraine-as-fears-of-russian-air-dominance-grow%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1354491&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p class=\"Paragraph-sc-1tqpf5s-0 jQOUvm body-paragraph body-paragraph\">WASHINGTON \u2015 The U.S. for the first time has approved the direct delivery of Stinger anti-aircraft missiles to Ukraine as part of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/pentagon\/2022\/02\/26\/biden-to-send-350m-in-military-aid-to-ukraine\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">package approved by the White House last week<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-sc-1tqpf5s-0 jQOUvm body-paragraph body-paragraph\">During the Cold War, the CIA covertly supplied Stingers to Afghan guerrillas fighting Russian forces. Now Ukrainian forces locked in an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/ukraine\/2022\/02\/24\/nato-agrees-to-beef-up-eastern-flank-over-ukraine-attack\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">intensifying fight to repel Russia<\/a> will get more of the shoulder-fired weapon, which has a 4-kilometer range.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-sc-1tqpf5s-0 jQOUvm body-paragraph body-paragraph\">With the Raytheon Technologies-made Stingers, Ukrainian forces gain a tool for fighting Russian helicopters being used to transport troops and as close-air support. They have relied on missile defenses and aircraft to, so far, keep Russian aircraft from completely dominating their skies.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-sc-1tqpf5s-0 jQOUvm body-paragraph body-paragraph\">\u201cOnce the Stinger\u2019s employed, it has the ability to be a game changer,\u201d said retired Army Lt. Gen. Jim Dubik, now a senior fellow with the Institute for the Study of War. \u201cThe Russians don\u2019t have air dominance, but they do have air superiority \u2015 and the Stingers won\u2019t take that away, but it\u2019ll be contested airspace, and that hurts the Russians\u2019 ability to conduct operations and increases Ukraine\u2019s ability to defend.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-sc-1tqpf5s-0 jQOUvm body-paragraph body-paragraph\">There\u2019s been a steady stream of new commitments from the European Union and western countries to send arms and other aid to Ukraine, which had <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/global\/europe\/2022\/02\/24\/we-need-as-much-stinger-and-anti-tank-weapons-as-possible-says-ukraines-defense-minister\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">asked<\/a> for Stingers and Javelin missiles.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-sc-1tqpf5s-0 jQOUvm body-paragraph body-paragraph\">The Associated Press was first to report the Stingers would be part of a $350 million tranche of supplies U.S. President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/congress\/2022\/01\/25\/200m-in-javelins-other-anti-armor-systems-grenade-launchers-and-more-to-ukraine-dod\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Joe Biden<\/a> authorized last week. Defense News confirmed the report with an administration official granted anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-sc-1tqpf5s-0 jQOUvm body-paragraph body-paragraph\">The U.S. decision follows Germany\u2019s announcement it will send 500 Stinger missiles and 1,000 anti-tank weapons to Ukraine, marking a reversal of Germany\u2019s long-standing policy of never sending lethal munitions to war zones.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-sc-1tqpf5s-0 jQOUvm body-paragraph body-paragraph\">The Baltic states have also been providing Ukraine with Stingers since January, and in order to do that had to get U.S. permission.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-sc-1tqpf5s-0 jQOUvm body-paragraph body-paragraph\">While it\u2019s unclear when this tranche of U.S. aid will arrive, the Pentagon says it has not seen any Russian efforts to interdict western aid to Ukraine or problems with previous tranches.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-sc-1tqpf5s-0 jQOUvm body-paragraph body-paragraph\">\u201cThe assistance continues to flow, and we are comfortable that is it getting into hands that need it,\u201d Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters Monday.<\/p>\n<div class=\"InterstitialLink-sc-1hqz4g0-1 kimzwY\">\n<h6 class=\"ClampedBox-sc-1pg0sor-0 Heading__H1-i0amlx-0 QYmQY ChannelHeading-sc-1c6we3j-0 OverlineHeading-sc-18ofnig-0 aTotV a-heading6 ChannelHeading-sc-1c6we3j-0 OverlineHeading-sc-18ofnig-0 aTotV a-heading6\">RELATED<\/h6>\n<article itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/Article\" data-story-url=\"\/global\/europe\/2022\/02\/27\/scholz-proposes-100-billion-euro-defense-fund-vows-to-exceed-nato-spending-goal\/\" data-story-id=\"YWYLYWPNUZADRCFDHZUDKTM3IU\" data-feature-id=\"false\" data-story-index=\"1\" class=\"View__Article-sc-88btjd-0 eCIPlq View__StoryView-sc-88btjd-5 defxjk o-storyCard --up-0 --landscape       --story\">\n<div class=\"View__PromoWrapper-sc-88btjd-4 ckyNVw o-storyCard__promo\">\n<div class=\"View__MediaWrapper-sc-88btjd-1 dxTstP o-storyCard__media o-storyCard__media a-heading6\">\n<figure class=\"LazyMedia-sc-1vxvan1-0 jgLXdf f-lazyMedia f-lazyMedia\"><source media=\"screen and (min-width: 768px)\" \/><source media=\"screen and (min-width: 0px)\" \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/GNTSRVOY5VDRLJQI4ASIJGA7NE.jpg\" width=\"800\" height=\"0\" alt=\"image\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-sc-1tqpf5s-0 jQOUvm body-paragraph body-paragraph\">Jim Townsend, who was the Pentagon\u2019s top Europe and NATO policy official throughout the Obama administration, speculated that the previous U.S. reluctance to send Stinger missiles stemmed from a fear that, if Ukrainian forces did not mount as successful a fight as they have, the highly effective weapon could fall into Russian hands.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-sc-1tqpf5s-0 jQOUvm body-paragraph body-paragraph\">But now it\u2019s time for Ukraine\u2019s western allies to make sure Ukraine\u2019s supply lines don\u2019t run dry, and for Ukraine to get weapons and other gear it needs, Townsend said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-sc-1tqpf5s-0 jQOUvm body-paragraph body-paragraph\">\u201cUkraine is great, but if they run out of ammunition, if their supply lines are cut, if Russians dominate the air, it\u2019s going to be a different picture,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ve got to keep resupply routes open, and we\u2019ve got to hurry. &#8230; We have Stingers in stock, and we\u2019ve got to put them on trucks and get them the hell over there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-sc-1tqpf5s-0 jQOUvm body-paragraph body-paragraph\">This week, Russia has already targeted airfields and fuel facilities, in what appeared to be the next phase of an invasion slowed by fierce resistance.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-sc-1tqpf5s-0 jQOUvm body-paragraph body-paragraph\">Ukraine Brig. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, head of that nation\u2019s defense intelligence agency, told Military Times Monday morning the Russians could use missile barrages to continue to destroy Ukrainian airfields. That in turn could be used to choke off Ukrainian supplies.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-sc-1tqpf5s-0 jQOUvm body-paragraph body-paragraph\">Budanov said Ukraine could benefit from the U.S.-made Patriot, a sophisticated surface-to-air missile defense system that would take time for the U.S. to send. Meanwhile, Russia is getting close to air dominance, in spite of Ukraine\u2019s anti-aircraft systems, bombers and other war planes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-sc-1tqpf5s-0 jQOUvm body-paragraph body-paragraph\">Adding another challenge for Kyiv\u2019s defenders, the Russians have moved their Pantsir-S1 mobile air defense systems closer to the city, according to Budanov. The system can track up to 20 tactical aircraft-sized targets at a range of 32-36 km.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-sc-1tqpf5s-0 jQOUvm body-paragraph body-paragraph\">\u201cThey almost control the sky,\u201d Budanov said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"default__Wrapper-cy7r53-1 gEopBn\">\n<p class=\"default__BioWrapper-cy7r53-0 jmAmdA a-body2\">Joe Gould is senior Pentagon reporter for Defense News, covering the intersection of national security policy, politics and the defense industry.<\/p>\n<p class=\"default__BioWrapper-cy7r53-0 jmAmdA a-body2\">Howard Altman is an award-winning editor and reporter who was previously the military reporter for the Tampa Bay Times and before that the Tampa Tribune, where he covered USCENTCOM, USSOCOM and SOF writ large among many other topics. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>WASHINGTON \u2015 The U.S. for the first time has approved the direct delivery of Stinger anti-aircraft missiles to Ukraine as part of a package approved by the White House last<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1354491","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1354491","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1354491"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1354491\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1354491"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1354491"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1354491"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}