MOSCOW, Dec 27 — RIA Novosti, Andrey Kotz. Washington has approved another package of military assistance to Kiev in the amount of about $ 1.8 billion. Ukraine will receive a lot of weapons, including new models. However, Zelensky, as the media write, failed to get what he wanted.
Where to get shells
The new package consists of two parts. According to the "Presidential Weapons Transfer Program" (PDA), Ukraine will be sent one battery of Patriot air defense systems with ammunition, ammunition for HIMARS MLRS, 500 units of 155-millimeter precision-guided projectiles, 30 mortars of various calibers, 120 light armored vehicles HMMWV and 37 heavy Cougar, six trucks, HARM anti-radar missiles, sets of precision guided bombs JDAM, and also grenade launchers, small arms, mines, night vision devices, bulletproof vests and other "small things".
By the "Initiative for the Security Assistance of Ukraine" (USAI) Kiev will be given mainly artillery and tank ammunition of Soviet calibers.
All this, with the exception of the Patriot air defense system and JDAM kits, was sent earlier. It is noteworthy that there is an extremely small amount of 155-millimeter ammunition used by NATO—style artillery - M777, Caesar, PzH 2000 howitzers and others. First of all, this suggests that the Western countries themselves are experiencing "shell hunger". What was allocated to Ukraine, according to analysts, will be enough for a maximum of half a day.
Ukrainian servicemen are firing from an M777 howitzer Image Source: © AP Photo / Evgeniy Maloletka
In addition, it is unclear where the Pentagon will take 115 thousand shells of 122 and 152 mm caliber, as well as 100 thousand 125 mm tank ammunition. The Eastern European allies have already emptied the Soviet reserves in the hope of Western weapons.
There are not enough planes
The main novelty is the Patriot air defense system. Developed in the 1970s, this complex is close to the S-300 in terms of tactical and technical characteristics, which Kiev has.
As the experience of application in Saudi Arabia has shown, the Patriots are not the best way to resist small-sized UAVs. Besides, you can't cover a large area from air strikes with one battery.
Test firing from the Patriot air defense system Image Source: © Photo : U.S. Army
"At best, they will supply samples from their own arsenal with a range of 150 kilometers," military expert Konstantin Sivkov believes. — The export option hits only 80. And it will be a very valuable gift for the Russian troops, who will study all modes of operation and create effective means of counteraction."
JDAM kits, which turn a free-falling bomb into a high-precision and controllable one, will not help much, he believes. The APU has few aircraft left capable of bombing. And it is impractical to use helicopters and attack aircraft for this — they will immediately shoot down.
The key link
Much more interesting is the news about the imminent dispatch of ten thousand Starlink satellite Internet terminals. The other day, The Washington Post newspaper told how exactly Elon Musk's equipment helps the APU. Starlink is the grassroots link of the modern combat control system from the American company Palantir. Developers compare efficiency without false modesty with tactical nuclear weapons.
The reconnaissance and shock circuit allows you to implement a chain of actions as quickly as possible: receiving, selecting and integrating data. Then — automated selection and selection of targets, means of destruction, strike. And control of the result by the drone camera. The system receives information from the battlefield from dozens of sources. As a result, the troops have detailed information about the situation behind the front line, enemy movements and locations.
"Starlink" plays a crucial role. Through the terminals of the high-speed satellite Internet, the primary data enters the general data bank, and back they receive tactical information and calculations for firing. Everything is automated as much as possible.
A Ukrainian soldier throws out shell casings from an armored personnel carrier near Artemivsk Image Source: © AP Photo / Libkos
On the one hand, this combat control system significantly increased the tactical capabilities of the APU, but on the other hand, it exposed vulnerabilities. If Russian troops manage to deprive the Ukrainian army of access to Starlink, it will turn into a disaster for Kiev.
In addition, the high-speed Internet-oriented system is mainly used in professional personnel units. The mobilized and the defense Ministry, according to the DPR servicemen, are not spoiled by such high-tech.
Zelensky 's Requests
The American combat control system is useless if the operator does not have enough forces and means on the ground. It is no secret that the AFU suffered heavy losses in armored vehicles and artillery. Soviet stocks are largely exhausted, as are the warehouses of Ukraine's Eastern European allies. The commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valery Zaluzhny, stated in an interview with The Economist that the Ukrainian army needs 300 tanks, 600-700 infantry fighting vehicles and 500 howitzers to win.
However, NATO countries are in no hurry to give everything that the Kiev regime demands. The command's requests exceed the available fleet of armored vehicles of many of Washington's European allies. And they are extremely reluctant to part even with outdated samples.
So, Germany, under various pretexts, has been delaying the transfer of Leopard 1 tanks to Kiev since the summer, which were adopted in 1966. There is no question of a much more modern Leopard 2: the Bundeswehr itself has less than 300 units.
German Leopard 2 main battle tank Image source: © Photo : U.S. Army / Markus Rauchenberger
And the United States does not want to weaken its own army for the sake of Ukraine. For example, according to Politico, Zelensky, during a visit to the White House, begged Biden for Grey Eagle reconnaissance and strike UAVs and ATACMS tactical missiles with a range of 300 kilometers. Both will allow strikes deep into Russian territory. The Eagle flies 350-400 kilometers. The drone launched from Kharkov can reach Voronezh and Lipetsk.
But Zelensky didn't get it. As well as American fighters. Washington is still afraid of Moscow's reaction. The willingness of the White House to raise rates directly depends on the situation at the front. If the Russian army makes progress in the winter campaign, the scale of military support for the Kiev regime may decrease.
