February 17, 2018 (KYIVPOST) The
United States government has donated 2,500 AN/PVS-14 night-vision monoculars
worth $5.8 million as free military aid to Ukraine’s Armed Forces. U.S.
Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch handed over a certificate of transfer
for the equipment to the Chief of the Ukrainian General Staff Viktor Muzhenko
during an official ceremony at the U.S. Embassy building in Kyiv.
The newly provided night vision
scopes could equip at least 10 army battalions for nighttime warfare,
according to General Muzhenko. “The United States is a strategic partner for
Ukraine. Out of the total amount of assistance that has been provided to
Ukraine’s Armed Forces, U.S. aid accounts for about 90 percent,” he said during
the ceremony, adding that apart from providing various types of equipment such
as counter-battery radars, drones, armored cars, and medevac vehicles, the U.S.
government was helping to modernize the Ukrainian army by training its
servicemen.
Ambassador Yovanovitch said the
United States had provided $850 million worth of military aid to Ukraine since
the outbreak of Russia’s war in the Donbas in 2014, adhering to its commitment
to help Ukraine preserve its independence and territorial integrity. The
military aid would also bring the country closer to forming NATO-compatible
armed forces, the ambassador added.
AN/PVS-14 night-vision monoculars
have been used by the U.S. Armed Forces and a number of their NATO allies since
2000. Primarily manufactured by the Litton Industries and the ITT Corporation,
the monoculars are head-portable, and can be attached to a wide range of
standard combat helmet types. They also can be mounted on assault rifles as
night vision sights – on rail mounts, behind a standard collimated dot sight.
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