Europe's cutting-edge arms take center stage in Ukraine's fight
Although Americans are the largest suppliers of military equipment to Ukraine, providing weapons valued at $64.1 billion, they do not supply any modern weapons. Ukraine receives much more advanced weaponry from European countries. Here are some of the most interesting examples of equipment, whose deliveries will need to be significantly increased in the coming months.
European countries offer the latest technologies on the front line, which have collectively delivered equipment worth approximately $66 billion (according to data from the Kiel Institute for the World Economy). These deliveries are quantitatively less impressive than those from the U.S., but they include experimental equipment not found in American supplies. A considerable advantage of supplies from the U.S. was the volume of artillery shells for Ukraine, which reached millions of units, while Europe initially delivered only hundreds of thousands.
However, the U.S. sent older weapons to Ukrainians. Meanwhile, European aid packages included advanced items that were certified even as recently as 2022. Americans took the opportunity to dispose of, for instance, surplus MRAP vehicles that recall the era of missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. Of course, it should not be forgotten that for Ukraine, all help is of great importance, regardless of its origin.
European countries, especially those from NATO's eastern flank, also handed over to Ukraine the majority of older Soviet-era weapons. Meanwhile, countries in the western part of the EU, beyond the new versions of Leopard 2 tanks, also delivered old Leopard 1A5s.
Anti-tank tools and artillery from Europe
Nevertheless, the war in Ukraine has become a testing ground for modern European weaponry, promoting new solutions. In the fight against Russian armoured equipment, American Javelins, British NLAW systems, French Akeron MP, and German RGW90 grenade launchers have also proved effective.
The second equipment category includes French self-directing Bonus artillery projectiles and German SMArt 155, which transform artillery into precise tank destroyers. They contain two smaller projectiles equipped with sensors, which, once released over a given area, independently search for and target enemy tanks or self-propelled howitzers.
In addition, Ukraine received 155 mm calibre artillery systems with 52-calibre barrels, such as the Polish Krab, German PzH 2000, French Caesar, Slovakian Zuzana 2, and Swedish Archer. All these systems offer a more excellent range compared to American solutions.
Each of these self-propelled howitzers offers a range of about 30 kilometres using the cheapest ammunition or up to about 60 kilometres when using rockets with a booster. They can also fire American M982 Excalibur guided projectiles, but they have quickly proven susceptible to Russian GPS jamming. It is worth noting that the Italian-German Vulcano GLR delivered to Ukraine can operate under such conditions. The weapon offers an excellent range of up to 80 kilometres with slightly less strike force.
Western anti-aircraft systems in Ukraine — not only from the USA
The majority of medium-range anti-aircraft systems currently supplied to Ukraine are American Patriots, but Europe has also provided two SAMP/T batteries, which are of the same class. It is worth noting that the USA did not send most Patriots, but Americans are the leading manufacturers of the missiles for these systems. The situation is expected to change in the coming years when missiles for this system start being produced in Europe.
The situation looks better for shorter-range systems. Here, we have NASAMS capable of using different types of missiles, along with European-developed systems like IRIS-T SLM and SLS. The Old Continent is also an essential player in producing handheld anti-aircraft systems. The Polish Piorun, British Martlet, Swedish RBS-70 NG, or French Mistral-3 offer better performance than American FIM-92 Stingers.
The problem is not the availability of European weapon systems but the insufficient production volume, which has significantly increased in recent years.
