Posted on 12/02/2022 8:20:31 PM PST by SeekAndFind
The CEO of US weapons giant Raytheon Technologies, Gregory Hayes, revealed on Thursday that Washington is working with partner nations in West Asia to transfer a handful of their air defense systems to Ukraine.
"The [Pentagon] is going to attempt to do some trading for us where we’ll take some from the [West Asian] countries that are our friends and some from our NATO allies, and try and get those into Ukraine early next year," Hayes said, before adding that the weapons will be "[backfilled] with new production over the next two years."
Hayes did not mention specific countries the US is discussing the plan with. Washington’s goal with this plan is to deliver National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS) to Ukraine within the next three to six months, to avoid a two-year wait for new ones from Raytheon’s factory.
"Just because it takes 24 months to build, it doesn’t mean it’s going to take 24 months to get [to Ukraine]," he said.
NASAMS are operated by five NATO members – Hungary, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, and Spain – as well as Oman and Qatar in West Asia, according to Defense Security Cooperation Agency records. Australia, Chile, Finland, and Indonesia also operate the systems.
The White House reportedly approved the arrangement to transfer the air defense systems to Ukraine. However, a Defense Department spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment by Politico.
Hayes made the revelations just a day after the US army awarded a $1.2 billion contract to Raytheon for six NASAMS for Ukraine, which are part of the fifth Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) package with a total value of $2.98 billion. Raytheon is also waiting in the wings for the approval of a $1 billion deal to provide Qatar with anti-drone systems.
Since the start of the war in Ukraine in February, the US congress has approved $65.9 billion in Ukraine assistance through three separate supplemental funding packages.
Just two weeks ago, US President Joe Biden asked congress for an additional $38 billion in Ukraine aid. If approved, this would bring the total amount of US taxpayer money Washington has funneled into the pockets of US weapon makers and Ukrainian authorities to $104 billion in less than a year.
You Putin trolls are willing to fight to the last conscript.
Oh, well. So be it. The Russian widows will just have to settle for Chinese soldiers.
Check out the top three or four institutional owners of Raytheon.
Nuff said.
So far 100,000 Russians have been killed. Putin is going to have another 100,000 killed. And he doesn't give a da**. Russia is losing a million people a year. At this rate, Russia will fall to 100 million by 2050. A shell of its former superpower that conquered Eastern Europe and ruled a vast empire.
You’re right. The idiot Russians are already calling for an invasion of Kazakhstan and for the same reasons as they invaded Ukraine: Nazis, it’s not a real country, ethnic Russians, muh USSR, etc.
Is this you echoing Liz Cheney? Calling you and yours neocons is not supporting Putin. It's calling you a neocon. You can't and won't deny it. Well, you might deny it but your words will betray you. Your reply proves your blood lust. Of course none of this changes anything on the battle field. Good luck to the last Ukrani.
Right now I like the Russians a lot more than I like you.
And the crooks aren’t even trying very hard to hide it.
Oh noes! What will I do? I never cared for neocons, never. Most of you are simply democrats that passed your use by date, held over from the 80's. Stale. Unoriginal. Singular focus. No reverse gear. Insatiable blood lust. Bush, Cheney and now Bidenbots. That has to be a strange place to find yourself. Yet so many of you seem to be comfortable there.
Well, I hope you enjoy shilling for Russia.
I don't shill for Russia. I just don't shill for The Ukraine. America first sure does tick you neocons off. You bore me Liz.
A plague on both their houses.
If you don’t shill for Russia then stop shilling for Russia.
I've already said I don't shill for Russia. Are the voices in your head telling you something different?
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