![]() ![]() National security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters at a White House briefing that the approval to send cluster munitions came after a lengthy discussion by the Biden administration that weighed those risks but was based on a realistic situation of the battlefield in Ukraine. Senior White House and Pentagon officials acknowledged concerns about their use but emphasized that they are needed in Ukraine's fight against Russian and that the weapons being sent to Ukraine are more effective than cluster munitions being used by Russia inside Ukraine. The decision to send the munitions, encased in 155mm artillery shells, was made by President Joe Biden and is being criticized by human rights groups who believe unexploded munitions will increase the risk of death and injury to civilians. The Army-wide upgrades will add much more capability to existing systems at a fraction of the cost of buying new ones.The White House and the Pentagon on Friday defended the Biden administration's decision to provide Ukraine with controversial cluster munitions as part of a newly announced $800 million military aid package that will help it fight Russia's invading forces. ![]() If successful, the new barrel and technologies will be extended to the Paladin self-propelled howitzers equipping the Army's heavy brigade combat teams. Tests of the M777ER package will continue through 2018. A worn-out barrel may lead to less accuracy and even present a safety hazard to friendly troops on both ends. The new howitzer may have a shorter barrel life than its predecessors. The power unleashed in shooting a 155-millimeter howitzer shell is a new frontier. The forces involved in containing a small explosion in a large steel tube exert a tremendous amount of heat and pressure, contributing to barrel fatigue. The Army also has to keep track of the amount of powder, and force, the howitzer uses. That much extra steel does change the howitzer's center of gravity, though, and the Army has to be mindful of exactly how much. Picatinny Arsenal is paying careful attention to weight changes, as the longer barrel already looks like it will tip the howitzer over (even though Army officials say it won't). The improvements are calculated to add no more than 1,000 pounds to the M777. ![]()
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