Since the Russian invasion on February 24th, Ukraine has received billions of dollars’
worth of armaments and military equipment from at least 28 countries. Twenty-five of the 28
nations providing military assistance to Ukraine is NATO members, including the US and UK, which
are supplying Kyiv with sophisticated weapons such as Multiple Rocket Launch Systems and many others.
Despite its growing arsenal, Ukraine, which has active military personnel of merely 200,000,
is significantly outgunned by Russian forces. For this reason, Kyiv is looking for a significant
increase in arms to fight off Russian forces. Ahead of the talks, NATO Secretary General Jens
Stoltenberg revealed that allies would continue to deliver heavy weapons and long-range systems
to Ukraine. The military aid directed to Ukraine includes conventional weapons as well as more
advanced equipment and weaponry. Some of those weapon systems have been delivered while some
others has yet to be sent. The armaments include artillery, anti-aircraft weapons, anti-tank
weapons, armoured vehicles, reconnaissance attack drones and helicopters to name a few. Anyway,
to be specific on this topic, what military equipment is actually the world giving to Ukraine?
By the way, what do you know about Ukraine? Maybe we have to
make a little YouTube-tour about what Ukraine is?
Number one, HIMARS Ukrainian President Volodymyr
Zelenskyy has repeatedly called on Western nations to assign his country more heavy weapons,
arguing it is the only way to stop Russian forces from turning the war into “an endless bloodbath”.
On June 1st, the Biden administration confirmed it would provide Ukraine with high mobility
artillery rocket systems or known as HIMARS under the condition that Ukrainian forces do not employ
them to hit targets inside Russian territory. The M142 HIMARS is a high-tech lightweight rocket
launcher with the ability to strike targets at a range of 50 miles. This is almost double the
range of the current M777 howitzers, which the US promised to provide earlier in the conflict.
Number two, Howitzer
Howitzers have been provided by countries such as Estonia and Norway. The US has also pledged M114
155mm howitzers long-range artillery launchers. It is mentioned that the Western howitzers have
some advantages over older Soviet-designed systems in the Russian and Ukrainian arsenals.
Thus, it takes time for Ukrainian crews to learn how to operate them. Their wide assortment poses
obvious logistical challenges. Additionally, a more serious problem is that the numbers of
Western weapons are still far too small. Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said that
the country requires at least 1,000 heavy howitzers, 300 multiple rocket launchers,
500 tanks and 2,000 armored vehicles, much more than what the West has provided.
Another type of Howitzer sent to Ukraine is the M777. The United States has provided the embattled
nation with some 126 lightweight M777 Howitzers, along with more than 226,000 rounds of ammunition
for these 155mm cannons. These weapon systems may look an awful lot like artillery found throughout
history and all over the world, including the big guns leveraged by Russia’s invading forces.
The truth, however, is that the M777 has as much in common with technological marvels like
the Mach 3+ SR-71 Blackbird as it does with 93,000-pound behemoths like Russia’s 2S7 Pion
self-propelled cannons. The M777 can fire as far as 40 kilometres, or 25 miles, and is capable of
striking within 10 meters of a target when coupled with the M982 Excalibur precision guided munition.
Furthermore, the self-Propelled Howitzer such as the AHS Krab and PzH 2000 were also parts
of military equipment delivered to Ukraine. Poland has recently supplied 18 long-range
155 mm AHS Krab SpGH to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It became known about the contract
for another 54 self-propelled artillery vehicles of this type, which was signed between Poland and
Ukraine. The deal amounts to 2.7 billion PLN, which is approximately $630 million.
This is considered the largest arms supply contract in the history of modern Poland.
In another case, the German Panzerhaubitze 2000 or PzH 2000 is also considered one of the best
self-propelled guns in the world. Germany and the Netherlands have delivered over 12 PzH 2000s
to Ukraine and they are in action against Russian forces in Ukraine's eastern Donbas
region. Ukrainian gunners say they mastered the Panzerhaubitze in about a month after training
every day. The five-man crew consists of the vehicle commander, a driver-mechanic, a gunner,
and two loaders. RFE/RL spoke to a newly trained Ukrainian crew about their powerful new weapon.
Number three, Anti-tank weapons According to the BBC.com, The UK
has sent more than 5,000 next generation light anti-tank weapons, or NLAWs, to Ukraine. NLAWs
are designed to destroy tanks at short range with a single shot. Crucially for Ukraine's
armed forces who need weapons immediately, the missiles are easy to transport and simple
to use. A soldier can be trained to use them in less than a day. Many analysts believe they had
a major impact on the course of the conflict in the days following Russia's invasion. The
weapons have been particularly effective when used in combination with artillery.
Moreover, the man-portable missile systems such as the Javelin and the AT4 were also part of
the weapons delivered to Ukraine. According to the army-technology.com, the Javelin system is
a highly valued component of the Ukrainian war effort. This procurement is part of the Ukraine
Supplemental Appropriation Act. The contract includes Ukraine Army replenishment, US Army
FY22 procurement, and international partner missiles. For the information, the Javelin,
a shoulder-held anti-tank weapon that shoots heat-seeking rockets hurtling towards targets
up to 4km away, can be controlled by a portable unit. In addition, Sweden has already delivered
10,000 AT4 anti-tank weapons. It is a series of 84 mm unguided rocket, man-portable, single-shot,
disposable, recoilless smoothbore anti-tank weapons manufactured by the Swedish company
Saab Bofors Dynamics. This weapon can be operated by a single soldier and depending
on the rocket model, it has a firing from 200 to 600 m and can penetrate armor up to 460 mm.
Number four, T-72M1 tank It was reported by Army Recognition
that Poland provides more than 200 T-72 Main Battle Tanks to Ukraine. Citing Polish sources,
Poland has sent at least 240 T-72 tanks to Ukraine including T-72M1s and a modernized
version of the T-72, the T-72M1R. Explosive Reactive armor is a type of vehicle armor
that reacts in some way to the impact of a weapon to reduce the damage done to the
vehicle being protected. It is most effective in protecting against shaped charges and especially
hardened kinetic energy penetrators. The T-72 is equipped with explosive reactive armor that
increases protection primarily against HEAT or High-Explosive Anti-Tank type weapons. In fact,
recent rocket-propelled grenades used by Russian troops are equipped with HEAT warheads.
The Explosive Reactive Armor (ERA) installed on the T-72M1 could be effective against anti-tank
weapons like the RPG-7 and its counterparts, which use HEAT warheads to engage targets.
Number five, Bayraktar TB-2 and Switch Blade drones.
The Turkish defense contractor announced that the company is donating three armed drones to Ukraine
free of charge. The company was responding to a crowdfunding effort that raised $20 million
in less than three days to buy Baykar's mainstay Bayraktar TB2 drones for Ukraine. "Baykar will not
accept payment for the TB2s and will send three UAVs free of charge to the Ukrainian war front. We
ask that raised funds be remitted instead to the struggling people of Ukraine," the company said in
a statement. This is not the first time Baykar has gifted drones in response to crowdfunding. Earlier
in June, the company said it would send Lithuania a TB2 free of charge, after learning of a
crowdfunding effort there to raise funds to buy a TB2 for Ukraine. The Bayraktar drone in particular
garnered attention during the war as Ukrainian forces used the weapon to destroy Russian
artillery systems and armoured vehicles. The TB2 has a wingspan of 12 metres and can reach 25,000
feet. It has also been used during conflicts in Syria, Nagorno-Karabakh, Iraq and Libya.
Moreover, the United States has also sent 600 more AeroVironment Switchblade drones to help
the Ukrainian military counter Russia's invasion, the US Defense Department revealed. That's a major
increase from the 100 drones the US sent in March. The drones are "loitering munitions"
that can circle above a battlefield before in effect becoming missiles that attack specific
targets. They're included in the Pentagon's new $800 million in military aid to Ukraine, a package
that brings the country's total contributions to $2.6 billion in security assistance.
The US also has sent an undisclosed number of AeroVironment Puma drones, which can circle for
hours above a battlefield and help soldiers direct Switchblades toward their targets.
Number six, Air defense such as NASAMS and S-300 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said
that U.S. President Joe Biden's administration had already decided to provide Ukraine with
sophisticated air-defense systems known as NASAMS as Kyiv fights off Russian military invasion.
The Pentagon on Friday announced $820 million in new Ukraine military aid that includes advanced
mid- to long-range air defense systems and counter-artillery radars to respond to Russia’s
heavy use of long-range strikes in the war. The announcement for the National Advanced
Surface-to-Air Missile System, or NASAMS, marks the start of a contracting process for
$770 million worth of equipment, including four more counter-artillery radars and up to 150,000
rounds of 155mm artillery ammunition, through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative.
NASAMS, developed by Norway’s Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace as well as American
company Raytheon Technologies, marks a shift from the Russian-made air defense systems.
Contracts for NASAMS are expected to be finalized within weeks or months, and Ukrainian forces
will need to receive training to operate the systems, as stated by a senior defence official.
In addition, the Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III put out a statement of gratitude for
Slovakia's assistance to embattled Ukraine. He applauded the Slovak government's decision
to supply an S-300 air defense system to Ukraine. Slovakia has been operating one
battery of the Soviet-designed S-300 air defence system which it inherited after the
break-up of Czechoslovakia in 1993. The Slovak donation is the first known case of a country
sending an air defence system to Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion.
Number seven, Anti-aircraft such as Stinger and Gepards.
Germany supplies Ukraine with 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 anti-aircraft Stinger missiles
in the wake of the ongoing conflict in Kyiv. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said
Russia's military assault on Ukraine has been "a turning point" for Europe, threatening the
international order established after World War II, Anadolu Agency reported. "In this situation,
it is our duty to do our best to help Ukraine defend itself against Vladimir Putin's invading
army. Scholz added his statement that “the Germany stands side by side with Ukraine”.
Moreover, Ukraine also received 15 anti-aircraft "Gepard" tanks from Germany. Included with the
arms delivery with the training support by the German Armed Forces and the provision of nearly
60,000 rounds of ammunition, according to the report by Germany's dpa news agency.
The Gepard, a German word for "cheetah", is an anti-aircraft gun, or flak tank,
armed with twin 35-mm guns that can be used against aircraft and helicopters at altitudes of
up to 3,500 meters. The tank would be especially useful for Ukrainian forces, as it was designed
to counter armored attack helicopters, such as the Soviet-Russian Mil Mi-24. It is also
effective against lightly armored ground targets such as infantry vehicles and transport tanks,
but would be vulnerable to battle tanks because of its relatively small caliber guns.
For the information, the Gepard was developed in 1976 and the last tank was decommissioned by the
German military in 2012. The units to be sent to Ukraine must be made operational again. The
German manufacturer of the Gepard, Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, has technically refurbished mothballed
tanks from earlier German military stocks. A total of 50 Gepards could be made available.
Anyway, that’s all for today, if you have any suggestions for other interesting topic to
discuss, feel free to drop your comment below. Thanks for watching and see you next time!