The Armed Forces of Ukraine were given outdated "Stingers": the US is not ready to share modern weapons, — Ustynova

The Armed Forces of Ukraine were given outdated "Stingers": the US is not ready to share modern weapons, — Ustynova

Ukraine received a ten-year supply of portable anti-aircraft missile systems "Stinger" from the USA, but all of them are old models.

This was stated by member of parliament Oleksandra Ustynova.

According to her, every five years the model of MANPADS is updated in the USA, and the new missiles no longer fit previous versions. The American army is transitioning to a new model, while old systems are being transferred to Ukraine.

"We were given a 10-year supply of ’Stingers.’ But this is an outdated model. There are no missiles for them anymore. The new ones are not ready to be transferred to us by the US as they are in service with their own army," Ustynova explained.

She also added that the stockpile of weapons in the US is not as large as it might seem from the outside, and mostly old models are being passed to the Ukrainian defence forces.

A similar situation exists with aviation. According to the MP, F-15 and F/A-18 fighter jets are mostly designed for takeoff from aircraft carriers, which Ukraine does not have. In addition, spare parts are simply not produced for some models.

"A-10 Thunderbolt attack aircraft are literally lying in the deserts in the USA. We discussed them, but there is no sense in taking them — there are simply no spare parts for them," she added.