The US is planning to supply Ukraine with GPS-guided high-precision M982 Excalibur artillery shells, Politico reported on Friday, citing a person familiar with the matter.
The shell is equipped with an armor-penetrating warhead and has a laser-guided version. The munitions can be fired using US-made M777 howitzers, which are already being used by Ukrainian troops.
The shells can hit targets at a range of up to 70km, depending on the artillery caliber, according to the manufacturer, Raytheon Technologies. The Excalibur munitions would allow Ukraine to strike targets deep inside Russian-controlled territories.
Reports in May said Canada was providing a number of Excalibur shells to Ukraine that were left over from the war in Afghanistan.
The report in Politico has come as the US announced an additional $775 million worth of military aid to Kiev. The package includes 1,000 Javelin shoulder-fired anti-tank missile systems and 1,500 Tube-Launched, Optically-Tracked, Wire-Guided (TOW) missiles. The Pentagon is also providing Ukraine with 40 heavily armored MaxxPro mine-resistant vehicles, which were originally developed for US forces in Iraq.