June 9, 2023 at 1:00 am EDT
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Armed with western weapons and trained in NATO tactics, Ukrainian troops have begun a push into Russian-held territory in south-eastern Ukraine.
Since November The front lines largely stagnated as both sides braced themselves for a cold winter and muddy spring. But while Russian forces have strengthened their positions, at least one factor may have tipped the balance in Ukraine’s favour: the supply of increasingly sophisticated and sought-after weapons by Western allies, some of which could bring serious advantages on the battlefield.
However, some of these systems require time and complex logistics to deploy, as well as lengthy training, so they could potentially play a bigger role in the coming months. Here are some of the key weapons used by the United States in the run-up to the counterattack.
Sophisticated equipment and training
Preparations for the long-awaited counter-offensive have been going on for months. The focus is on consolidating Western weapons and equipment, as well as completing the necessary training for operating systems that are new to many Ukrainian troops. This approach by the United States and Western allies goes beyond flooding the country with equipment; It emphasizes systems that complement each other on the battlefield.
The “combined arms” approach focuses on the idea that armor, infantry, aviation, and other capabilities work together to protect and enhance each other. This is a key strategy in counter-offensives to overwhelm and exploit weaknesses and gaps in the enemy’s defenses.
M1A2 ABRAMS
main battle tank
STRYKER
Armored personnel carrier
(Specifications for Stryker M1126)
M2 .50 caliber machine gun
or MK19 grenade launcher
BRADLEY
Infantry Fighting Vehicle
(Specifications for M2A4 Bradley)
Sources: US Army Acquisition Support Center
M1A2 ABRAMS
main battle tank
STRYKER
Armored personnel carrier
(Specifications for Stryker M1126)
M2 .50 caliber machine gun
or MK19 grenade launcher
BRADLEY
Infantry Fighting Vehicle
(Specifications for M2A4 Bradley)
Sources: US Army Acquisition Support Center
M1A2 ABRAMS
main battle tank
STRYKER
Armored personnel carrier
BRADLEY
Infantry Fighting Vehicle
(Specifications for Stryker M1126)
(Specifications for M2A4 Bradley)
M2 .50 caliber machine gun
or MK19 grenade launcher
Sources: US Army Acquisition Support Center
M1A2 ABRAMS
main battle tank
STRYKER
Armored personnel carrier
BRADLEY
Infantry Fighting Vehicle
(Specifications for Stryker M1126)
(Specifications for M2A4 Bradley)
M2 .50 caliber machine gun
or MK19 grenade launcher
Sources: US Army Acquisition Support Center
This involves extensive vehicle deliveries and months of training. Washington has dispatched 90 Stryker personnel carriers and over 100 Bradley combat vehicles to help implement the combined arms strategy. The Strykers and Bradleys are generally faster, more advanced and better protected than the outdated Soviet and Russian vehicles used by the Ukrainians, but are more technically demanding to maintain in the field. Strykers are designed to send infantry into battle, while Bradleys can rival other armored vehicles with their powerful guns, but offer less space for soldiers inside.
The United States has also committed to sending 31 Abrams tanks, which have better armor and advanced systems than Ukrainian tanks. About 200 Ukrainian soldiers began a 12-week training program on the tanks in Germany in early June, so they won’t be combat-ready until early September at the earliest.
Equipment for close combat
Aside from the initial attack on Kiev and counter-offensives in the east and south last year, the war in Ukraine was largely one of static trench warfare and long-distance artillery fire.
Counter-offensive operations are much more fluid and close range. To be successful, Ukrainian troops must advance quickly to take territory from the Russians, bringing them much closer to enemy lines.
The High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) is a lightweight, diesel-powered, air-transportable and drop-capable family of four-wheel drive tactical vehicles.
General Motor Products V8,
6.5 liter turbo diesel,
190 hp at 3,400 rpm
Wheelbase:
10 feet and 10 inches
105mm howitzers are more mobile than the heavier M777 and can be towed by Humvees.
The High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) is a lightweight, diesel-powered, air-transportable and drop-capable family of four-wheel drive tactical vehicles.
General Engine Products V8,
6.5 liter turbo diesel,
190 hp at 3,400 rpm
Wheelbase:
10 feet and 10 inches
105mm howitzers are more mobile than the heavier M777 and can be towed by Humvees.
The High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) is a lightweight, diesel-powered, air-transportable and drop-capable family of four-wheel drive tactical vehicles.
General Engine Products V8,
6.5 liter turbo diesel,
190 hp at 3,400 rpm
Wheelbase: 10 feet and 10 inches
105mm howitzers are more mobile than the heavier M777 and can be towed by Humvees.
The High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) is a lightweight, diesel-powered, air-transportable and drop-capable family of four-wheel drive tactical vehicles.
General Engine Products V8,
6.5 liter turbo diesel,
190 hp at 3,400 rpm
105mm howitzers are more mobile than the heavier M777 and can be towed by Humvees.
Wheelbase: 10 feet and 10 inches
The United States has provided weapons with a range of less than three miles, including 4,000 TOW missiles, for these operations. These missiles can be mounted either on a heavy tripod or on a Humvee, allowing troops to fire them and quickly withdraw them to prevent the enemy from attacking their position – a technique known as “shoot and scoot”.
Ammo for close combat
The FGM-148 Javelin is a man-portable fire-and-forget anti-tank missile (ATGM) system. It was designed to defeat heavily armored vehicles such as main battle tanks and lighter-skinned military vehicles.
Area
1.5 miles (Up to 2.8 miles with
light command launch unit)
The AT4 is an unguided, man-portable 84mm recoilless single-shot smoothbore weapon.
The Carl Gustaf M4 is a man-portable 84mm recoilless rifle.
The BGM-71A TOW (“Tube-launched, Optically tracked, Wire-guided”) is an anti-tank missile. Replacing smaller missiles, TOW features a longer effective range, a more powerful warhead, and an improved semi-automatic guidance system.
Sources: ODIN; US Army Acquisition Support Center; CSIS; SAAB
Ammo for close combat
The FGM-148 Javelin is a man-portable fire-and-forget anti-tank missile (ATGM) system. It was designed to defeat heavily armored vehicles such as main battle tanks and lighter-skinned military vehicles.
Area
1.5 miles (Up to 2.8 miles with
light command launch unit)
The AT4 is an unguided, man-portable 84mm recoilless single-shot smoothbore weapon.
The Carl Gustaf M4 is a man-portable 84mm recoilless rifle.
The BGM-71A TOW (“Tube-launched, Optically tracked, Wire-guided”) is an anti-tank missile. Replacing smaller missiles, TOW features a longer effective range, a more powerful warhead, and an improved semi-automatic guidance system.
Sources: ODIN; US Army Acquisition Support Center; CSIS; SAAB
Ammo for close combat
The FGM-148 Javelin is a man-portable fire-and-forget anti-tank missile (ATGM) system. It was designed to defeat heavily armored vehicles such as main battle tanks and lighter-skinned military vehicles.
Area
1.5 miles (Up to 2.8 miles with
light command launch unit)
The AT4 is an unguided, man-portable 84mm recoilless single-shot smoothbore weapon.
The Carl Gustaf M4 is a man-portable 84mm recoilless rifle.
The BGM-71A TOW (“Tube-launched, Optically tracked, Wire-guided”) is an anti-tank missile. Replacing smaller missiles, TOW features a longer effective range, a more powerful warhead, and an improved semi-automatic guidance system.
Sources: ODIN; US Army Acquisition Support Center; CSIS; SAAB
Ammo for close combat
The FGM-148 Javelin is a man-portable fire-and-forget anti-tank missile (ATGM) system. It was designed to defeat heavily armored vehicles such as main battle tanks and lighter-skinned military vehicles.
Area
1.5 miles (Up to 2.8 miles with
light command launch unit)
The AT4 is an unguided, man-portable 84mm recoilless single-shot smoothbore weapon.
The Carl Gustaf M4 is a man-portable 84mm recoilless rifle.
The BGM-71A TOW (“Tube-launched, Optically tracked, Wire-guided”) is an anti-tank missile. Replacing smaller missiles, TOW features a longer effective range, a more powerful warhead, and an improved semi-automatic guidance system.
Sources: ODIN; US Army Acquisition Support Center; CSIS; SAAB
The United States has also sent 105mm artillery pieces to Ukraine, which sacrifice performance and range for easier transport, making them easier to move around a changing battlefield compared to heavier howitzers like the M777. Other weapons, including a trio of anti-tank systems – javelins, AT4s and Carl Gustaf recoilless rifles – are intended for infantry soldiers to attack vehicles on foot.
The M777 missile system weighs 7,500 pounds and requires five to nine soldiers to operate. They can range up to 24.9 miles. The US has deployed nearly 200 howitzers since April 13.
Sources: Federation of American Scientists;
US Department of Defense; GlobalSecurity.org
The M777 missile system weighs 7,500 pounds and requires five to nine soldiers to operate. They can range up to 24.9 miles. The US has deployed nearly 200 howitzers since April 13.
Sources: Federation of American Scientists;
US Department of Defense; GlobalSecurity.org
The M777 missile system weighs 7,500 pounds and requires five to nine soldiers to operate. They can range up to 24.9 miles. The US has deployed nearly 200 howitzers since April 13.
Sources: Federation of American Scientists; US Department of Defense; GlobalSecurity.org
The M777 missile system weighs 7,500 pounds and requires five to nine soldiers to operate. They can range up to 24.9 miles. The US has deployed nearly 200 howitzers since April 13.
Sources: Federation of American Scientists; US Department of Defense; GlobalSecurity.org
Successful counteroffensives require moving through areas that enemy soldiers have already equipped with physical barriers and minefields to slow advancing troops and direct them to places where they are most vulnerable.
According to Mark Cancian, a senior advisor to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the solution is to bring anti-mine equipment and explosives into the country. The United States has sent Ukraine bomb-proof vehicles, called MRAPs, with front-mounted mine reels designed to detonate mines before they can hit the vehicle itself. Protective gear and explosives were also supplied to help bomb technicians and engineers collect and destroy obstacles and hazards.
The Mine Resistance Ambush Protected (MRAP) is a family of vehicles capable of countering improvised explosive devices, rocket-propelled grenades, explosively shaped penetrators, underground mines and small arms fire.
fighting weight
(fully loaded without additional armor)
It employs groups of roles that apply pressure to the ground in front of the host vehicle, detonating the threat before the vehicle and its crew reach them.
The Mine Resistance Ambush Protected (MRAP) is a family of vehicles capable of countering improvised explosive devices, rocket-propelled grenades, explosively shaped penetrators, underground mines and small arms fire.
fighting weight
(fully loaded without additional armor)
It employs groups of roles that apply pressure to the ground in front of the host vehicle, detonating the threat before the vehicle and its crew reach them.
The Mine Resistance Ambush Protected (MRAP) is a family of vehicles capable of countering improvised explosive devices, rocket-propelled grenades, explosively shaped penetrators, underground mines and small arms fire.
Combat weight (fully loaded without additional armor)
It employs groups of roles that apply pressure to the ground in front of the host vehicle, detonating the threat before the vehicle and its crew reach them.
The Mine Resistance Ambush Protected (MRAP) is a family of vehicles capable of countering improvised explosive devices, rocket-propelled grenades, explosively shaped penetrators, underground mines and small arms fire.
Combat weight (fully loaded without additional armor)
It employs groups of roles that apply pressure to the ground in front of the host vehicle, detonating the threat before the vehicle and its crew reach them.
The non-combat vehicles received by Ukraine are also critical, Cancian said. Tank trucks help keep gas-hungry vehicles from drying out, and transport trucks, which transport vehicles including tanks to the front, help reduce wear on their tracks. Fleets of salvage trucks also help transport wrecked and damaged vehicles for repairs to get back in the fight.
“Isolate the Battlefield”
Weapons such as long-range artillery played an important supporting role in counter-offensives, Cancian said by attacking Reserve units trying to reach attack areas.
“The classic situation is you attack a defensive line, they hold you up for a while but then have to bring in reinforcements from other areas,” he said. “And if they get these in, they can hold you down, maybe stop you from breaking through or limit your breakthrough.”
The M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) is a full-spectrum, wheeled, precision assault weapon system. Firing GMLRS Unitary precision missiles, HIMARS can achieve ranges of about 45 miles.
The M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) is a full-spectrum, wheeled, precision assault weapon system. Firing GMLRS Unitary precision missiles, HIMARS can achieve ranges of about 45 miles.
The M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) is a full-spectrum, wheeled, precision assault weapon system. Firing GMLRS Unitary precision missiles, HIMARS can achieve ranges of about 45 miles.
The M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) is a full-spectrum, wheeled, precision assault weapon system. Firing GMLRS Unitary precision missiles, HIMARS can achieve ranges of about 45 miles.
By using longer-range weapons, attackers can “isolate the battlefield so the opposing side cannot bring in reinforcements.”
Those weapons could also prevent logistics troops from resupplying the defenders, Cancian said.
While the United States has provided HIMARS vehicles that can launch missiles to a range of about 50 miles and some systems that can double that range, they have long-standing Ukrainian requests for missiles with a range of nearly 200 miles declined, reducing the ability for commanders to attack targets from afar.
Understanding the Russia-Ukraine conflict
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