A rocket fires from a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System at Yakima Training Center, Wash. (Defense Department)

WASHINGTON – The United States will send another $275 million in air defense munitions and other equipment to Ukraine to help the embattled country fight off Russia’s latest attacks, the Pentagon announced Friday.

The new military aid includes ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, 155mm and 105mm artillery rounds, as well as Javelin and AT-4 anti-tank systems, tactical vehicles and anti-tank mines. The equipment will be provided through presidential drawdown authorities, which means equipment is pulled from existing U.S. military stocks and sent to Ukraine on an emergency basis.

The announcement follows the 22nd meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, which took place Monday. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said after the meeting that defending against aerial attacks is critical for Ukrainian forces trying to beat back surging Russian invaders and he urged allies to come up with more air-defense weapons to send to Ukraine.

Russian forces, which had made only moderate advances in recent months, launched a surprise assault in the northeast region of Ukraine on May 10 that resulted in their biggest territorial gains in nearly 18 months.

This is the fourth package of military aid for Ukraine since Congress passed long-awaited foreign aid legislation last month. The $95 billion approved by lawmakers includes money for Israel and Taiwan, with $60 billion going to Ukraine.

The week that the legislation was signed, the Pentagon announced two packages worth a combined $7 billion. One was worth $6 billion, the largest security assistance that the U.S. has committed to Ukraine. It will be provided through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which pays for long-term military aid to procure weapons and munitions from the defense industry or partner countries for a later time.

The U.S. has now provided almost $51 billion in military assistance to Ukraine since Russia invaded in February 2022.

The items in the military aid announced Friday include:

-- Ammunition for HIMARS.

-- 155mm and 105mm artillery rounds.

-- 60mm mortar rounds.

-- Tube-launched, optically tracked, wire guided missiles.

-- Javelin and AT-4 anti-armor systems.

-- Precision aerial munitions.

-- Small arms and additional rounds of small arms ammunition and grenades.

-- Demolition munitions.

-- Anti-armor mines.

-- Tactical vehicles to recover equipment.

-- Helmets, body armor, and chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear protective equipment.

-- Spare parts, maintenance, and other ancillary equipment.