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The US is sending six additional warplanes to Germany in a bid to bolster Nato defences without becoming involved in Russia’s war in Ukraine, the Pentagon said on Monday.
The EA-18G Growlers, a variant of the F/A-18 Super Hornet, are specialised in flying electronic warfare missions and jamming enemy sensors.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the planes would arrive at Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany later on Monday and that mission would also include 240 military and maintenance personnel.
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Workers unloading a Royal Canadian Air Force military transport plane to assist Ukraine at Lviv airport. AFP -
A new member of the Territorial Defence Forces trains to operate an AT4 anti-tank launcher in Kyiv. Reuters -
A plane loaded with military equipment for Ukrainian forces takes off from Albacete, Spain. EPA -
A Ukrainian soldier holds a Next Generation Light Anti-tank Weapon used to destroy a Russian armoured personal carrier in Irpin, north of Kyiv. AFP -
A Ukrainian serviceman with a Javelin missile system on the front line near Kyiv. Reuters -
A soldier holds a Panzerfaust 3 anti-tank rocket launcher at the Munster military training area in Germany in 2016. Getty Images -
A US Marine Corps staff sergeant aims a M72 Light Anti-tank Weapon. Photo: US National Archives -
The Switchblade is a camera-equipped, remote-controlled flying bomb with a reputation for pinpoint delivery. AP Photo -
A coalition forces member fires a Carl Gustav recoilless rifle system during weapons practice on a range in Helmand province, Afghanistan, in 2013. US Army Photo -
A Starstreak surface-to-air missile system. PA
“[The planes] are not being deployed to be used against Russian forces in Ukraine,” Mr Kirby stressed.
The move is in keeping with “efforts to bolster Nato’s deterrence” along its eastern flank, without engaging Russian assets, he said.
The Pentagon said Ukraine's battleground remains “static”, with Russia now having fired more than 1,370 missiles.
A US navy fact sheet said that the EA-18G Growler integrates the latest electronic attack technology, including the ALQ-218 receiver, ALQ-99 tactical jamming pods, ALQ-227 Communication Countermeasures Set and Joint Tactical Terminal-Receiver satellite communications.
