Weapons that Ukraine cannot make up for after the US stopped aid

(CLO) The decision of the US President Donald Trump's administration to temporarily suspend military aid to Ukraine means that Kiev will not receive more weapons that play an extremely important role in the conflict with Russia.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Ukraine is currently funded for about 55% of its military equipment, of which the US provides about 20%, and Europe provides 25%. However, the decision of President Donald Trump's administration to temporarily suspend military aid to Ukraine can still be seen as a heavy blow to Kiev.

US President Donald Trump has decided to suspend military aid to Ukraine after a heated argument with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on February 28. Photo: AmuTV

That’s because some US weapons—including long-range air defense systems, surface-to-surface ballistic missiles, and long-range rocket artillery—are irreplaceable in the short term. Europe simply doesn’t produce enough to provide Ukraine with replacements. Here are some of the most important US weapons that Ukraine may no longer receive.

Patriot air defense system

Analysts say the lack of US-made Patriot air defense systems will be the biggest challenge for Ukraine as it will force Kiev to decide which parts of the country need to be protected and which areas it will have to accept risks.

A US Patriot air defense system firing. Photo: Lockheed Martin

Europe and Ukraine lack a reliable, long-range, ground-based air defense system like the Patriot, which can shoot down Russian ballistic and hypersonic missiles. Patriots have protected Ukraine’s most important energy facilities and far-flung cities from air strikes.

Speaking to CNN, many Ukrainian soldiers said their biggest immediate concern was not the impact of weapons cuts on the front lines, but the lack of Patriot missile systems to protect targets from afar.

The Patriot air defense system has proven its effectiveness on the battlefield against Iraqi Scud missiles during the first Gulf War. With its high-performance phased array radar and Mach 5 MIM-104C missiles (PAC-2 with a range of 160 km and PAC-3 with a range of 30-60 km), the Patriot system is capable of intercepting everything from drones to cruise missiles.

Technical specifications of a Patriot air defense system, with a high-performance radar AN/MSQ-104 with up to 5,000 elements and missiles with a range of 3-160 km, speed up to Mach 5. Graphics: RIA Novosti

According to Forbes, from the first days of deployment in Ukraine, Patriot systems have shot down 1 Su-34, 1 Su-35 and 2 Mi-8 helicopters. Ukraine always wants to be reinforced with Patriot systems, but if the US stops military aid, the country will not even have enough missiles to use the existing systems.

HIMARS rocket launchers and ATACMS missiles

The reason the US-made M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) and the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) are included together is because both weapons provide Ukraine with a great response capability.

A Ukrainian M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) fires. This American weapon has helped to boost Ukraine's firepower. Photo: Ukraine Army

HIMARS, with a range of about 90 km, has destroyed Russian fighting positions, equipment and ammunition depots, causing disruption to the country's logistics. ATACMS has a longer range of 300 km, and is considered an effective weapon in attacking Russian airfields, command centers and supply lines.

Built by defense manufacturer Lockheed Martin, the ATACMS missiles can be fired from either the tracked M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) or the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS).

Each ATACMS missile costs about $1.5 million. They are powered by solid rocket fuel and fly ballistically into the atmosphere before re-entering at high speeds and high angles of attack, making them difficult to intercept.

The ATACMS missile can be loaded with about 950 cluster bombs, creating massive damage over a very large area. Graphics: US Army

ATACMS can be configured to carry two different types of warheads. The first is a type equipped with hundreds of cluster bombs designed to destroy targets over a large area, such as parked aircraft, air defense sites and large troop concentrations. The second type is a single, high-explosive warhead of 225 kg designed to destroy fortified facilities and larger structures.

Last November, Ukraine fired ATACMS missiles at Russia for the first time after receiving a “green light” from Washington. The attack targeted military facilities and an airport in Russia’s western Kursk region, causing some damage to infrastructure.

Following the attack on the airport, the Kremlin also confirmed that Ukraine used five ATACMS missiles to fire at S-400 air defense missile positions in Lotarevka, a village in the Kursk region.

Russia's air defense system failed to intercept all the ATACMS missiles in that attack. "Three missiles were destroyed, while two hit their targets," a Russian Defense Ministry representative told Ria Novosti news agency after the Ukrainian attack.

155 mm artillery shells

In addition to the existing 152 mm howitzers from the Soviet era, the Ukrainian artillery is now equipped with a large number of 155 mm howitzers donated by the West, including the American M109 and M177, the French TRF1 and Caesar, the British AS90 or the German PzH 2000. And those guns need enough ammunition.

A Ukrainian soldier transports 155mm artillery shells. Ukraine is in dire need of these shells. Photo: RTE

As of last September, the US had sent some 3 million artillery shells to Ukraine. The European Union (EU) is supplying Kiev with 1.4 million 155mm artillery shells by 2024. According to Ukrainian officials, the country currently produces 2.5 million artillery and mortar shells a year. But that is still not enough to maintain combat capability along a 1,200km front line.

Currently, the shortage of artillery shells, especially 155mm artillery shells, is becoming a serious challenge for Ukraine, greatly affecting the balance on the battlefield, especially when Russia still has an abundance of ammunition.

Although EU countries aim to supply Ukraine with up to 2 million 155mm artillery shells by 2025, they are facing many difficulties due to the slow expansion of production scale and lack of explosives... Therefore, the loss of supply from the US will further aggravate Kiev's disadvantage.

Nguyen Khanh

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/nhung-vu-khi-ma-ukraine-va-chau-au-khong-the-bu-dap-sau-khi-my-dung-vien-tro-post337390.html