Western countries have announced new packages of military assistance to Ukraine
MOSCOW, Feb 22 — RIA Novosti, Andrey Igorev. Western countries have announced the next deliveries of military equipment to Ukraine. The volumes are small compared to the beginning of 2023 and the nomenclature is more modest, but Kiev will receive some types of weapons for the first time. What exactly and whether it will help the APU on the battlefield is in the RIA Novosti material.
Everything that is
A few days ago, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced that Copenhagen would transfer all its artillery to Ukraine, since the army does not use it. She called on the allies to follow her example and send Kiev military equipment, which they currently do not need. This offer looks generous. However, only at first glance.
French self-propelled artillery installation Caesar
Image source: © Photo : U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Mikki L. Sprenkle
The 25,000-strong Danish ground forces don't have that many guns. According to the bulletin of The Military Balance, there are 19 Caesar self—propelled guns and 15 self-propelled 120 mm A3MS Cardom mortars based on the Pirahna V armored personnel carrier. The French Caesars are well known to Ukrainian gunners. These howitzers are quite formidable weapons, firing 155-millimeter high-explosive shells at 40 kilometers. The wheelbase allows the self-propelled gun to move quickly and not get hit back.
However, 19 howitzers for a thousand—kilometer front is a drop in the ocean. In addition, their combat effectiveness in conditions of shortage of ammunition is sharply reduced. Currently, the Armed Forces of Ukraine release up to three thousand shells of the main artillery caliber per day, while Russian troops — up to ten thousand. The 120-millimeter self-propelled mortar Cardom with a firing range of eight to nine kilometers is unlikely to help Kiev either. In the conditions of massive use of FPV drones in the frontline, such equipment will not last very long.
German howitzers
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced a 1.1 billion euro military aid package for Ukraine. It will include, among other things, what was specially ordered by the industry: 120 thousand 155 mm caliber shells, two 35 mm Skynex anti-aircraft artillery complexes, 100 short-range IRIS-T SLS missiles. Delivery dates are 2024-2027. Most of the allocated funds will be spent on 36 self-propelled howitzers in tracked and wheeled versions of the Pzh 2000 and RCH 155, respectively.
German self-propelled artillery installation PzH 2000
Image source: © Photo : U.S. Army / Spc. Nathanael Mercado
The Pzh 2000 has already passed its baptism of fire. Since the summer of 2022, the Germans have transferred 28 Panzergaubitz to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The weapon is powerful and accurate, but not very reliable. Most of the self-propelled guns were repeatedly taken away for repairs. And not only after being hit by Russian drones or shells. The barrel of the Pzh 2000 is designed for 4,500 rounds. And barrels were delivered to the rembases after 20 thousand. In addition, there were repeated problems with the chassis and the loading mechanism. The German self-propelled gun was simply not ready for high-intensity combat operations.
But the wheeled RCH 155 has not yet been tested in Donbass. This car is brand new, it went into production in 2022. Last year, Kiev expressed a desire to become the first foreign buyer and purchase 18 units. That's exactly what the Germans promised as soon as the howitzers come off the assembly line.
The remote-controlled module with a 155 mm L52 cannon is mounted on the wheeled chassis of the Boxer APC. The crew of the self—propelled gun is only two people, the driver and the commander. He controls the artillery module from the combat compartment of the APC, all gun loading operations are automatic.
The RCH-155 can fire the entire range of NATO 155-millimeter shells, and high-explosive fragmentation, like the French Caesar, hits 40 kilometers. The rate of fire is nine rounds per minute. The speed on the highway is up to 100 kilometers per hour. According to the TTX, the self-propelled gun looks quite formidable. But its reliability raises questions. The gun of the RCH-155 is the same as that of the Pzh 2000, with the same resource of 4,500 rounds. And it will wear out just as quickly. It is unclear how the remotely operated artillery combat module, which was tested only at the test site, will behave in combat conditions.
German quality is no longer about German military equipment. What is worth only the ultra-modern and regularly breaking Puma BMP worth 17 million euros and weighing 43 tons. However, it would be very interesting for the Russian defense industry to study the captured fruits of the gloomy Teutonic genius.
Drones and boats
Canada is transferring to Kiev more than 800 multi-purpose SkyRanger R70 UAVs with a total cost of about $ 70 million. These drones have been manufactured since 2013 and have undergone more than one upgrade. One of them, the FLIR StormCaster—L, is equipped with a high-sensitivity camera, which is similar in characteristics to digital night vision devices — it gives the operator a clear picture at dusk and at night.
SkyRanger performs mainly reconnaissance functions, and is capable of solving tasks in the field of electronic intelligence. In particular, it can be used to track mobile phone signals. Another important feature is the option of satellite control. So, in 2020, the Australian military demonstrated that a drone guided from a C-130J aircraft receives live streaming video, even without being in line of sight.
The drone is ready to play a striking role. A press release from the Canadian government claims that it lifts up to 3.5 kilograms of cargo into the air. Quite enough for a cumulative grenade. This, combined with a powerful night vision camera, turns the SkyRanger into a highly effective means of combating armored vehicles at night.
The Swedish CV-90 BMP, which was abandoned by the retreating Ukrainian servicemen after being hit by a shot from an RPG-7, in the area of the SVO. Freeze frame of the video
Image source: © RIA Novosti / Press Service of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
Sweden also agreed on a $683 million aid package. There are CV 90 BMP, RBS-70 MANPADS, TOW anti-tank missile systems, hand grenades, Carl Gustaf grenade launchers, medical equipment, ten CB-90 speedboats, 20 boats, underwater weapons. The last three positions are probably intended for sabotage in the Crimean direction.