Essential weapons for Ukraine: Expert outlines crucial needs
General Leon Komornicki, former Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Army and President of the Foundation for the Fallen and Murdered in the East, specifies the weapons Ukraine needs to win the war. Without these supplies, the Ukrainian army will not defeat Russia within the next five years.
The West continually supports Ukraine in terms of its defensive and offensive capabilities. In the last few weeks, support was announced in the form of over 1 million artillery shells reaching the front from the Czech Republic. Additional combat equipment is also being sent by, for example, the Spanish, who recently provided Leopard 2A4s.
It is also significant that the USA prioritized Ukraine regarding ammunition supplies for Patriot systems and F-16 fighters (AIM-120 AMRAAM). Analysts believe that this means Ukraine will receive at least 1,500 advanced missiles from the USA within the next 16 months for the mentioned Patriots and F-16 aircraft.
However, Western support may still be insufficient, and without adequate weaponry, Ukraine will not win the war against Russia within the next five years. As General Leon Komornicki noted, Kyiv has a chance to resist the Russian Federation and defeat the aggressor, but only if the supply of equipment is increased.
These are the weapons the Ukrainians need
Komornicki precisely lists the weapons the Ukrainian armed forces need to win the conflict with the Russian Federation. According to the Polish general, the most important are "hundreds of HIMARS rocket systems and long-range ATACMS missiles." But that’s not all. Komornicki indicates much more equipment needed by the Ukrainians, including:
- more than 150 F-16 aircraft or equivalents equipped with hundreds of JASSM missiles;
- more than a thousand long-range kamikaze drones;
- 3 million 6-inch artillery shells;
- 25 Patriot batteries;
- 500 tanks;
- 3,000 infantry fighting vehicles and armoured personnel carriers;
- 1,200 6-inch artillery systems.
The Polish general does not specify the exact types of tanks, artillery, and infantry fighting vehicles Ukraine needs. He primarily names the valuable F-16 fighters and Patriot systems. This is also not the first time an expert speaking about F-16s has highlighted the number of aircraft Ukraine needs. Analysts often emphasized that Kyiv should receive at least 120 units of American fighters.
Let us remind you that the F-16 is an aircraft that can accelerate to about Mach 2 (about 1,500 mph) and can carry weapons on nine hardpoints. They also show high maneuverability in the air, which is significant for increasing pilot survivability.
On the other hand, the Patriot systems that Komornicki also indicated are necessary to send to the front are designed to counter any air threat. They can eliminate helicopters, airplanes, drones, and ballistic and cruise missiles. A missile launched from a Patriot launcher reaches an altitude of over 15 miles and a range of 100 miles, accelerating to a speed of Mach 5, which is over 3,800 mph.
