The United States will send more High Mobility Artillery Missile Systems (HIMARS) to Ukraine as part of a new $400 million arms package, a senior defense official said, to help Kyiv counter heavy Russian artillery bombardment. Speaking to reporters on condition of anonymity on Friday, the official said the new US weapons package will include four additional HIMARS and more ammunition, bringing the total number of such systems to 12. With HIMARS, “Ukraine has now successfully hit Russian locations inside Ukraine, deeper behind the front lines, and is disrupting Russia’s ability to conduct an artillery operation,” the official said. The package will also include 1,000 rounds of a new type of 155mm artillery ammunition supplied by Ukraine’s western allies. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details that have not yet been released. The aid came as Moscow this week claimed full control of Ukraine’s southeastern Luhansk region, but Ukrainian officials say their troops still control a small part of the region and fierce fighting continues in several villages. It is the 15th package of US military weapons and equipment transferred to Ukraine from Defense Department stockpiles since last August. In addition to HIMARS, Washington will also send 1,000 155mm artillery shells, which has an increased accuracy capability that will also help Ukraine hit specific targets. The package will also include three tactical vehicles, anti-battery radar systems, spare parts and other equipment. The official added that all HIMARS provided to Ukraine were accounted for after the Russian Defense Ministry earlier this week said it had destroyed two HIMARS and their ammunition depots in eastern Ukraine. The US began providing the key precision-guided missile weapon system to Ukraine last month after receiving assurances from Kyiv that it would not use them to strike targets inside Russian territory. Ukraine has not used HIMARS systems to attack outside of Ukraine, the official added on Friday. The M142 HIMARS is a high-tech lightweight rocket launcher that can engage targets at a range of 80 kilometers (50 mi). This is almost twice the range of the current M777 howitzers, which the US promised to provide earlier in the conflict. Ukraine already has a Multiple Launch Missile System (MLRS) capability, but HIMARS is an upgraded system. Ukraine has repeatedly called on its Western allies to provide heavy weaponry to help its forces fend off Russia’s ongoing offensive, which began in February. When the fighting was in or near urban areas in the first weeks of the war, the Ukrainians in many places managed to keep the Russians at bay. When the Russians began to focus on Luhansk and Donetsk, their long-range artillery gave them an advantage that Ukrainian forces could not match. “With sufficient number of shells, SPGs and HIMARS, our soldiers are able to stop and drive the invaders from our land. We must break the Russian Federation’s scorched earth tactics,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermark, said on Twitter on Friday. “We need air and missile defense to save thousands of lives.” 🇺🇦 more heavy weapons are needed to repel RF aggression. With sufficient number of shells, SPGs and HIMARS, our soldiers are able to stop and drive the invaders from our land. I need to break RF’s scorched earth tactics. We need air and missile defense to save thousands of lives. — Andriy Yermak (@AndriyYermak) July 8, 2022