President Joe Biden has been under pressure for a long time. Large quantities of missiles that the Ukrainians want are stored in the USA.
They reach so far that they can be used against targets inside Russia.
– American authorities have always feared being drawn too deeply into this war. They want to avoid the war spilling over Ukraine’s borders, says Professor Tormod Heier at the Norwegian Defense College to NRK.
He points out that the US will not put so much pressure on President Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin that the Russian leaders might use small, tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine.
For several months, the White House has signaled that the US could consider sending the missiles, but now the decision has been made on a different level.
In the large military aid package that is now ready for delivery, there are also Atacms. The politicians in the House of Representatives put it in as a separate part of the law they voted on at the weekend.
On Tuesday evening, it became clear that a majority has been secured in the Senate to approve the package. After that, all that remains is for President Joe Biden to sign the document when he gets it on his desk.
New, but familiar
The Ukrainians already have experience with Atacms. Last year they got a few of them. These were older rockets with a short range. Atacms are launched from the same vehicles that the Ukrainians have used a lot, Himars and M270.
FROM THE SAME WAGON: Atacms missiles are fired from the same platforms that the Ukrainians are now using to launch Glmrs missiles at the Russians. They come packaged in the same boxes as the Gmlrs, but there is only one rocket in each box. Gmlrs are packed in groups of six.
Photo: US MIL
The weapons Ukraine is getting now can reach targets 300 kilometers away.
It is almost twice as long as the older rockets. They are also equipped with warheads that can destroy even well-protected targets.
The older rockets had many small bombs. They were cluster weapons that were suitable for poorly protected targets.
GAINS SIGNIFICANCE: Head teacher at the War College, Amund Osflaten, says that the Russians will have to move their most important weapons and forces further away when the Ukrainians get more American missiles with a longer range.
Photo: The Norwegian Armed Forces
– These rockets can reach much larger areas. That means the Russians have to move theirs main weapons and forces further away, says head teacher at the War College, Amund Osflaten, to NRK.
He points out that the Russians will have to use airports that are further away. Bases for repairing weapons and equipment must be moved away from the front line.
– Atacms are launched from the ground and not from aircraft, and the Ukrainians will get much more of this type of weapon than they have had before, emphasizes Osflaten.
ANOTHER PRECISION WEAPON: The British-French Storm Shadow cruise missile that Ukraine has received a part of.
Photo: AP
In the past, Britain has provided an unknown number of Storm Shadow missiles with a range of between 250-400 kilometers. France has also provided about 90 missiles of a similar type. The British announced this week that they were going to provide more Storm Shadows to the Ukrainians.
But Osflaten does not believe that the American aid package will be enough for the Ukrainians to win the war. It is perhaps sufficient to avoid a Ukrainian loss in the near future, he believes.
A lot of secrecy
The aid package of NOK 670 billion contains much more than Atacm’s. It is believed that the Ukrainians will get the 155mm shells they need at the front.
The lack of ammunition has been highlighted as one of the reasons why the Russians are now advancing.
COSTS LIVES: The Ukrainian soldiers at the front in eastern Ukraine lack artillery ammunition for their guns.
Photo: Reuters
It is still unclear how much the US can send. Production of these grenades has picked up over the past year, but is still much lower than consumption in Ukraine.
The Ukrainians also need replenishment of missiles for their air defense systems. There is a particularly great need for SM-2/3 for the Patriot batteries and Amraam for the Nasams.
– The Ukrainian president has said that the air defense has the highest priority together with artillery ammunition. More air defense is very important to keep Ukrainian society going as normal as possible and to avoid a collapse, says Tormod Heier.
The US’s aid package: Professor Tormod Heier at the Norwegian Defense College says that what Ukraine needs most is air defense and artillery ammunition.
He points out that the Ukrainians can wage war in a more western way with the new weapons.
To a greater extent, they will be able to attack the Russians from a distance. Thus, they will avoid some of the exhausting close-quarters battles with the numerically superior Russian forces.
– Along with the new weapons, the Ukrainian military will also get better American intelligence. This means that they will become more precise in their attacks on Russian headquarters and ammunition depots, says the professor.
But he adds that there is much that is secret about the contents of this latest US aid package.
Soon in Ukraine
The large sum of money mostly does not go to Ukraine. Large parts of it end up in the American arms industry.
The money will be used, among other things, to replace ammunition and equipment that the Americans have previously given to Ukraine. Then the older things that the Ukrainians received will be replaced with new, more modern material that the American defense will use.
After about half a year of political wrangling over the Ukraine package in Congress, it is expected that the matter will be finalized within a day or two.
The Pentagon should already have the shipments ready, and rockets and ammunition should be able to be sent to Ukraine within a very short time.
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Published
23.04.2024, at 22.15
