The U.S. government announced on Tuesday that it would send multiple rocket launchers to the Ukrainian army, but whether the situation on the battlefield could really change amid the advance of the Russian forces not so sure.
The announcement was made by President Joe Biden and as clarified by a White House official, these are HIMARS, self-propelled multi-rocket launchers, adapted to light armor.
Both the Russian and Ukrainian armies already use such weapons, but HIMARS are considered to have a longer range and are more accurate.
The systems to be delivered to Kyiv have a range of up to 80 kilometers, according to the US presidency official. Washington has made it clear that it does not want to give Kyiv weapons that would allow it to hit targets deep inside Russian territory.
“We are not encouraging Ukraine and we are not giving Ukraine the means to strike beyond its borders,” Biden said in an article in the New York Times.
What weapons are these?
The M142 HIMARS systems are modernized and adapted to the light armored version of the M270 MLRS system, which was mass-produced and developed in the 1970s by the United States and its allies.
HIMARS can carry two types of rocket launchers: the first allows six 227 mm guided missiles to be fired simultaneously, the second launches only one ATACMS tactical missile, with a longer range.
The small group of operators can refill either system in about four minutes. But it will need training of Ukrainian soldiers.
Such US military systems are already developed in Europe. Poland and Romania, NATO member states, also have such weapons.
At this stage, it has not been clarified how many such weapons systems Washington intends to send to Kyiv.
Why are Ukrainians waiting for them so eagerly?
These multiple rocket launchers will allow Ukrainian troops to hit Russian positions at greater depths, keeping their arrays further away from the fronts.
The missiles fired in groups of six by the HIMARS are guided by GPS and have a range roughly twice that of the classic cannons that the US has already supplied to Ukraine, such as the M777.
In theory, with them the Ukrainians could deploy batteries outside the range of Russian artillery and hit their components.
They could also theoretically use these systems to hit Russian military networks or supply depots away from contact lines.
But the US will not give in Ukraine ATACMS tactical missiles, effective range of 300 km.
Some experts believe that HIMARS could change the balance of military power in the field, as the Ukrainian army retreats to Donbass, facing a disproportionately higher firepower of Moscow forces.
Other analysts, however, prefer to be more cautious about the impact of these weapons systems as the war draws to a close in a hundred days.
“HIMARS will change the balance of power,” he said.
Why does Washington choose to give Kyiv only limited-range systems?
Since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, the United States has offered military assistance to Kyiv, but has always avoided moves that could be perceived as major invitations to Russia – amid concerns that war could break out on Ukrainian soil. .
This mainly translates into their refusal to approve Ukrainian strikes in the Russian Federation. Although with missiles, UAVs and helicopters, the Ukrainian armed forces have already launched attacks in nearby Russian provinces.
If Washington decided to send ATACMS missiles along with HIMARS, Ukraine would theoretically be able to target Russian cities and military bases, especially air bases from which aircraft take off to bomb its territory.
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