Ukrainian troops have received more than 45 howitzers from the U.S. to help in their war against Russian invaders, Pentagon officials said Wednesday.
The shipment amounts to more than half of the 90 M-777 towed artillery pieces sent to Kyiv as part of a U.S. security assistance package that included 11 Mi-17 helicopters and 200 M-113 armored personnel carriers.
The M-777 is the top-of-the-line towed 155 mm howitzer used by Army and Marine Corps troops.
The cannon saw extensive combat operations in Afghanistan. It can shoot a standard M-107 high explosive round about 15 miles or 25 miles if using an M-982 Excalibur extended range guided artillery shell.
As the fighting in Ukraine has moved east — where the terrain is flatter than in other parts of the country — artillery has become a frequent request of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The plan was to send 50 Ukrainian artillery soldiers to undisclosed locations outside the country where they could be trained by U.S. personnel on the M-777 and then return home to train their comrades.
On Wednesday, Pentagon officials confirmed the first round of “train the trainer” has been completed. Citing security concerns, they declined to confirm the location of the artillery training program.
“They finished up earlier this week. Now, we’re working on the second tranche of training,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters.
The U.S. isn’t the only country shipping high-power weapons to Ukrainians to assist them in their struggle against Moscow. France and Great Britain are among those who signed on to support Kyiv.
Newly reelected French President Emmanuel Macron announced his country will be sending “significant equipment,” ranging from Milan anti-tank missiles to Ceasar self-propelled howitzers.
“I think we have to continue on this route. Always with the red line that we will not become parties to the conflict,” Mr. Macron told the Ouest-France newspaper.
Pentagon officials said Wednesday the U.S. isn’t “tracking” the firepower now being sent to Ukraine. The howitzers are the property of Ukraine once the training program commences.
SEE ALSO: In historic break, German parliament approves offensive arms shipment to Ukraine