A highly mobile artillery missile system can hit Russian targets at a distance of up to 80 km, helping to “equalize the chances”.
. The new weapon is the HIMARS multiple rocket launcher. This MLRS is a mobile installation capable of launching several high-precision guided missiles at the same time, writes The Guardian.
Both Ukraine and Russia already use different MLRS, but HIMARS surpasses them in range and accuracy.
Which system will be provided?
The M142 HIMARS system (high-mobility artillery missile system) is an upgraded, lighter and more maneuverable wheeled version of the M270 tracked MLRS, developed in the 1970s for the US military and allies.
HIMARS range by Washington provides Ukraine with about 80 km , a US official told reporters.
HIMARS installations carry one charged capsule with six 227-mm guided missiles (M270 carries two capsules) or one large capsule with a tactical missile from the Army Tactical Missile Complex (ATACMS). span> The United States will not supply Ukraine with ATACMS with a range of 300 km .
With a small crew, HIMARS can remove a used capsule in a few minutes and charge a new one on their own. Crews will need some training.
The US military already has HIMARS units in Europe, and NATO allies Poland and Romania have acquired these systems.
Википедия
Why are they valuable?
HIMARS will allow Ukrainian troops to strike further along Russian lines and at distances that are better protected from Russian long-range weapons.
GPS missiles – HIMARS targets have a range of about twice as long as the M777 howitzers recently delivered to Ukrainian troops by the United States.
At a range of about 80 km, this is usually removes HIMARS from the range of Russian artillery, while Russian batteries are under threat.
HIMARS may also threaten Russian supply depots against the background of the West's conviction that Russian troops have problems with logistics.
Some analysts say that HIMARS could be a “turning point” in the war at a time when Ukrainian troops appear to be struggling under Russian artillery fire.
But others say they HIMARS will not be able to suddenly change the situation . “ HIMARS will level the playing field,” said a senior US defense official. Why is Washington limiting the range?
The US president wrote in the New York Times that advanced missiles will allow Ukrainians to “more accurately hit key targets on the battlefield in Ukraine.”
However, the United States plans to limit the range of missiles it provides to Ukraine to avoid using them to hit targets in Russia.
“We are not going to send missile systems capable of striking Russian territory to Ukraine,” Biden said.
On February 24, the United States was cautious and did not take any action in support of Kyiv that could provoke Moscow to withdraw the war from Ukraine.
In particular, the United States does not openly support Ukraine's strikes on Russian territory. Ukraine has repeatedly used its own missiles, drones and helicopters to strike at nearby Russian targets in neighboring Kursk and Belgorod regions.
If the United States provided ATACMS they would theoretically be able to strike at major Russian urban centers and military bases, including airfields from which attacks on Ukraine begin.
“Ukrainians have given assurances that they will not use these systems against Russian territory,” the US spokesman said.
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