Since the beginning of the Russian invasion, Ukraine has received many modern weapons from its western allies, but continues to use old equipment. For its part, Moscow has a larger stock, but this is diminishing as the fighting progresses.
New weapons for a lasting war. Since the start of the Russian invasion at the end of February 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has received millions of dollars in military aid from his allies: ammunition, artillery, armored vehicles… In order to carry out its counter-offensive, Ukraine must increase its firepower.
Russia, on the other hand, which is considered the second most powerful army in the world, made rapid territorial gains early in the conflict, but “overestimated its military capabilities” and had to withdraw quickly, analyzes General Jérôme Pellistrandi. From now on, his army could “supply the front, but with outdated equipment”.
F-16, Kinjal missile, Caesar gun… While no single weapon can turn the tide of the conflict, a few have played crucial roles in the operations. Franceinfo compiles a non-exhaustive list of weapons used in the field.
On the Ukrainian side, modern weapons supplied by Westerners
The Caesar howitzer. The Caesar is a 155mm gun mounted on an armored truck. “It’s very mobile, easy to use and very precise in its shots,” explains General Jérôme Pellistrandi. A major French artillery piece, it can fire six rounds per minute and has a range of up to 40 km. France has ceded 18 Caesar guns to Ukraine and has committed to deliver 12 more by March 2024. In particular, they were used in the Donbass. This weapon’s range allows it to “destroy fuel depots and command posts,” adds the soldier.
A key piece of French artillery, the Caesar gun is capable of firing six rounds per minute and has a range of up to 40 km. (HELOISE KROB / FRANCEINFO)
The M142 Himar rocket launchers. Mounted on light armor, these rocket launchers are highly mobile. They can hit distant targets at a distance of up to 80 km, travel at speeds of up to 85 km/h and easily dodge counterattacks, specifies Le Monde. The Americans delivered about twenty of them to Ukraine in the summer of 2022. “By attacking very far behind Russian lines, the Himars destroyed Russian reserves and created a logistical bottleneck,” analyzes Stéphane Audrand, independent consultant for international risks.
The M142 Himars rocket launcher can hit targets at a distance of up to 80 km. (HELOISE KROB / FRANCEINFO)
Tank. The tank is an armored fighting vehicle with a cannon. “It serves to fight the enemy under cover, it supports the infantry.” [corps de l’armée chargé de la conquête et de l’occupation du terrain] in its progress through combat against other vehicles,” describes Yohann Michel, analyst at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).
France announced the delivery of in January light armor AMX-10 RC. This light wheeled vehicle is armed with 105mm guns and two machine guns. According to the Federal Ministry of Defense, you can drive up to 60 km/h on the road. “It is an essential piece of equipment for the counteroffensive. It is placed on the front line, detecting enemy positions and enabling battles to be initiated,” explains Jérôme Pellistrandi. With very good motor skills, he can explore roads, paths and forests. The United States provided similar armored vehicles: the Bradleys.
The Leopard 2 is a German-built heavy tank used by many armies in Europe. Equipped with a 120mm gun, it is extremely powerful and highly mobile, even over rough terrain. “Once the identification has been made using the information transmitted by the drones, the artillery and the AMX-10 RC, the Leopard 2 tank will destroy the Russian tanks,” explains Jérôme Pellistrandi. A coalition gathered around Germany must deliver at least 40 Leopard 2 tanks to Kiev, specifies Stéphane Audrand.
The Leopard 2 is a heavy tank of German design. (HELOISE KROB / FRANCEINFO)
In January, the UK announced that it would deliver 14 tanks to Kiev. challenger 2 and the United States has promised about thirty tanks M1 Abrams. The French also delivered ESPE (Forward Armored Vehicle) providing protection to infantrymen on the battlefield.
rockets. Rocket is different from rocket and basically can change direction during flight. “It can be anti-aircraft, ground-launching, aircraft-launched, or ground-launched,” explains Yohann Michel.
Javelin anti-tank missile launcher are man-portable American missiles that are “very easy to use. They attack enemy tanks from above,” explains Stéphane Audrand, where the armor is thinner. “They were widely used in the battle for Kiev to counter the Russian offensive,” adds Yohann Michel. If the forehead is frozen, however, the effectiveness is lower. Supplied in large quantities by the Americans, it became a symbol of the Ukrainian resistance. Also Ukraine received Anglo-Swedish NLAW anti-tank missiles. France delivered Milan anti-tank missiles.
Regarding portable anti-aircraft missiles (Manpads), aimed at destroying a target in the air from the ground, received Ukraine of rocket stingers American, Polish groms or some mistral French. These are infrared-guided weapons that can reach a range of up to 8 km, Le Monde notes. “They can be used by a single man, shoot down a helicopter or a low-flying plane,” describes Stéphane Audrand.
The F-16 fighter jet. In mid-May, the US paved the way for other countries to supply these fighter-bombers. They are versatile and can attack enemy planes and crash into the ground. “Westerners will have no problem giving in to Kiev,” specifies Stéphane Audrand, since they are very widespread in the world, even if they have support and training Setting up pilot projects will be complex and time-consuming. Their use will not radically change the course of the war, but Ukraine will be better able to defend itself.
The Bayraktar TB2 drone. This Turkish-made drone is equipped with missiles and was very effective at the beginning of the war, during the mobile phase. “Equipped with a camera, it produces images and can launch small missiles within a radius of 150 km. It has great endurance, more than 20 hours in the air, but remains quite vulnerable,” notes Stéphane Audrand. These drones played an important role in the sinking of the Russian cruiser Moskva in April 2022, Le Monde emphasizes.
The American Patriot air defense system. From the beginning of the war, the Russians attacked Ukraine from the air with cruise missiles. They shot at people and infrastructure. “Ukraine had to defend its airspace and the Patriot system is extremely accurate and reliable,” explains Stéphane Audrand. This surface-to-air missile system is capable of shooting down cruise missiles and aircraft at high altitude. It can aim at targets up to 160 km away. In early May, Ukraine announced that it had shot down a Russian Kinjal-type hypersonic missile using the Patriot system for the first time.
On the Russian side there are many weapons, mostly from the Soviet era
Tank. “The Russians, like the Ukrainians, have machines that come from the USSR, but they are the ones who made them and they have a little fewer supply problems than Ukraine,” describes Stéphane Audrand. They have a line of tanks whose name starts with “T” followed by a number that corresponds to the year of manufacture. “They rely on them a lot T72 (also held by Ukraine), which is light, less well protected, but very mobile,” explains the specialist. It allows for the breakthrough of a front and the protection of infantry. The Russian army also uses many of them T80 and T90and now this is coming from the reserves T55“Totally outdated but still useful,” adds Jérôme Pellistrandi.
“The Russians also have a very large repertoire Type infantry fighting vehicles BRDM, BTR, but with logistics behind it, it doesn’t work efficiently,” continues Jérôme Pellistrandi.
rockets. Russia has an “extremely complete” range of missiles, specifies Jérôme Pellistrandi. Surface-to-surface missiles were used most often Iskander. This ballistic missile follows a parabolic trajectory before falling on its target. According to Le Monde, it can hit a ground target at a distance of up to 500 kilometers. They can have a conventional or nuclear head. Iskander missiles were moved from Russia to Belarus to target Ukraine.
The Iskander ballistic missile system can hit a ground target at a distance of up to 500 kilometers. (HELOISE KROB / FRANCEINFO)
The Kinjal Missile (meaning “dagger” in Russian) is one of the weapons touted by Vladimir Putin as “invincible.” When a Kinjal missile is dropped from an airplane, it first adopts a bell-shaped trajectory and then flies toward its target at speeds that Moscow says can reach Mach 10, or 12,000 km/h. A speed that makes interception extremely difficult. On May 16, Ukraine claimed to have shot down six Kinjal missiles in a night attack.
airplanes. So far, “the Russian Air Force has hardly been used. It lost around 90 planes and 90 helicopters, which is very little compared to its fleet,” estimates Jérôme Pellistrandi. One of the aircraft used is the Sukhoi Su-34. “Russian aircraft participate in long-range bombing with cruise missiles.”
One of the aircraft used by Russia is the Sukhoi Su-34. (HELOISE KROB / FRANCEINFO)
Today a Su-34 “Could not attack Kiev directly because it would be intercepted by the Patriot system. But it’s bombing at the front, it’s fire support,” the general continues. There are also Sukhoi-25, 30 and 35. Russia has it too of Tupolev aircraft, supersonic bombers capable of hitting targets at a distance of 3,000 kilometers. In January, Ukraine said it had intercepted 40 missiles launched by bombers Tupolev-75 beyond the Caspian Sea.
drones. “The Russians often use drones to destroy enemy artillery,” notes Stéphane Audrand. One of them is the drone lancet. This is a small autonomous drone that circles a more or less large area and, when its sensors detect a target, explodes on it. “These are drones that are not expensive to produce. Many were used at the beginning of the war,” specifies the specialist.
Moscow also uses The Iranian shot down 136 drones. This “Kamikaze drone” has a range of 250 kilometers. In late May, Russian forces launched 48 Shahed drone strikes in the Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhia and Kharkiv regions.
The Iranian drone Shahed 136 has a range of 250 kilometers. (HELOISE KROB / FRANCEINFO)
The Pantsir air defense system. This Russian word means “shell”. Courrier International notes that it is a mobile short- and medium-range air defense system of up to 18 kilometers. In January 2023, images released on social media showed the installation in Moscow of Pantsir S-1 systems designed to intercept cruise missiles and ballistic missiles sent by Ukraine.