The US government announced yesterday that it will soon send multiple rocket launchers to the Ukrainian military, but whether they can truly change the situation on the battlefields amid the advance of Russian forces is less certain.
The announcement was made by President Joe Biden and, as a White House official clarified, these are HIMARS, self-propelled multiple rocket launchers mounted on light armored vehicles.
Both the Russian and Ukrainian armies already use such weapons, but the HIMARS are considered to have greater effective range and are more accurate.
The systems to be delivered to Kiev have a range limited to 80 kilometers, according to the U.S. presidential official. Washington has made it clear that it does not want to give Kiev weapons that would allow it to strike targets deep in Russian territory.
"We are not encouraging Ukraine and we are not giving Ukraine the means to go beyond its borders," meaning Russia, Mr. Biden.
What weapons are they?
The M142 HIMARS systems are a modernized and adapted light armored version of the M270 MLRS system, mass-produced and developed in the 1970s by the United States and its allies.
HIMARS can carry two types of missile launchers: the first allows six 227 mm guided missiles to be fired simultaneously; the second launches only one tactical ATACMS missile, with a longer range.
Its small team of operators can reload either one or the other system in about four minutes. But it would require training of Ukrainian military personnel.
Such US military systems are already deployed in Europe. Poland and Romania, NATO member states, also have weapons of this type. As of this stage, it is not clear how many such weapons systems Washington means to send to Kiev.
Why are the Ukrainians waiting for them so eagerly?
These multiple rocket launchers will allow Ukrainian troops to hit Russian positions in greater depth by keeping their batteries farther from the front lines. The missiles fired by the HIMARS every six months are guided by GPS and have a range roughly twice that of the conventional guns the US has already supplied Ukraine with, such as the M777.
In theory, with them the Ukrainians could deploy batteries outside the range of Russian artillery and hit elements of Russian artillery.
They could also theoretically use these systems to hit networks or supply depots of the Russian military, far from contact lines. But the US will not give Ukraine tactical ATACMS missiles, with an effective range of 300 km.
Some experts believe HIMARS could change the balance of military power in the field as Ukrainian troops retreat in Donbass, facing disproportionately greater firepower from Moscow's forces.
Other analysts, however, prefer to be more cautious about the impact of these weapons systems as the war nears its hundredth day. "HIMARS will change the balance of power," the US official insisted.
Why is Washington choosing to give Kiev only limited-range systems?
Since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, the US has offered military assistance to Kiev, but has always been careful to avoid moves that could be perceived as major invitations to Russia - due to concerns that the war could spill over into Ukrainian territory.
This translates mainly into their refusal to approve Ukrainian strikes on the Russian Federation. Although, with missiles, UAVs and helicopters, the Ukrainian armed forces have already launched attacks on nearby Russian provinces.
If Washington decided to send ATACMS missiles along with HIMARS, Ukraine would in theory gain the ability to target Russian cities and military centers, especially air bases from which aircraft take off to bomb its territory.
Source: APM
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