Starlink, the satellite communications service founded by billionaire Elon Musk, now has a contract with the Department of Defense to buy those satellite services for Ukraine, the Pentagon said in a statement on Thursday, Reuters reported. At the same time, the Pentagon announced that the US Ministry of Defense will purchase Gepard anti-aircraft systems for Ukraine in the amount of 118.3 million dollars.

“We continue to work with a number of global partners to ensure that Ukraine has the necessary satellite and sustainable communications capabilities. Satellite communications are a vital layer in Ukraine’s global communications network, and the Department is contracting with Starlink for this type of service,” the Pentagon said in a statement.

Starlink was used by Ukrainian forces for a variety of operations, including battlefield communications.

Last fall, SpaceX, the company that makes Starlink, warned the Pentagon that it may end this vital service for Ukraine, which it has offered free of charge since the beginning of the war. Elon Musk drew attention to the fact that the operation has become too expensive and he cannot carry it out for free indefinitely. According to the billionaire, the maintenance costs were 20 million dollars per month, according to News.ro.

SpaceX and the Pentagon began negotiations, until the end of which Elon Musk promised to continue providing Starlink services for free.

Since the beginning of the war, SpaceX has provided Ukrainians and the country’s military with Internet service Starlink, a network of more than 4,000 low-orbit minisatellites, through private donations and under a separate contract with the US foreign aid agency. Earth.

Russia has attempted to disrupt and block Internet services in Ukraine, including blocking Starlink in the region, but SpaceX countered these attacks by hardening the service’s software.

The Pentagon is not disclosing the terms of the contract awarded to SpaceX for Starlink “for operational security reasons and because of the essential nature of these systems.”

$118 million Gepard anti-aircraft systems

The US Department of Defense will purchase Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft systems for Ukraine in the amount of $118.3 million, the Pentagon announced in a press release on June 1, Reuters writes.

Florida-based Global Military Products has been awarded a contract to purchase and supply German-made Gepard anti-aircraft systems.

Funds for the purchase were allocated through the Initiative for the Promotion of Security in Ukraine.

What is Gepard armor

Although sometimes mistakenly presented in the press as a “tank”, the Cheetah is actually a mobile, self-propelled, armored anti-aircraft system. Developed by the German arms industry in the 1960s, it can work in all weather conditions.

Produced by the military company Krauss Maffei-Wegmann (KMW), the Gepard system was supplied to countries such as Germany, Belgium, Romania and the Netherlands.

Mainly intended for air defense, the anti-aircraft system can also be directed at ground targets. The tracked armored Gepard with three crew members develops a maximum speed of 65 km/h and has an autonomy of 550 kilometers.

The air battleship is equipped with independent target tracking and surveillance radars, and is equipped with “advanced training and simulation equipment,” according to KMW. Equipped with two 35 mm automatic cannons, “the Gepard system’s high ground mobility and rapid turret rotation provide the extremely short reaction time necessary to combat air threats.”

The Gepard is built on the chassis of the Leopard 1 tank. It is not only effective against fighter jets, attack helicopters and missiles, but, according to the manufacturer, it can “also successfully combat drones.”