Patriot missiles, HIMARS rockets: New US aid fortifies Ukraine

Americans have announced another $225 million support package for Ukraine, which includes a Patriot system battery, NASAMS missiles, and artillery ammunition. Here’s what the Ukrainians will receive.

Aid for Ukraine was one of the main topics during the 75th NATO summit, and after collective declarations of support, it was time for implementation. In the case of the Americans, the new tranche of support includes a battery of the Patriot system, which, along with units from Germany, the Netherlands, and Romania and the SAMP/T system from Italy, will significantly enhance the capabilities of Ukrainian air and missile defence.

Furthermore, Americans have provided Ukraine with FIM-92 Stinger systems as well as NASAMS missiles and artillery ammunition for both 105 mm and 155 mm gun systems, along with M142 HIMARS rocket systems.

The Patriot system battery is the only system beyond SAMP/T capable of combating Russian ballistic missiles from the Iskander-M family or hypersonic Kh-47M2 Kinzhal at about 40 kilometres from the launcher. Protecting infrastructure, such as power plants, from this type of weapon requires many systems.

It is also the only means to combat Russian aircraft such as the Tu-22M3 from over 100 kilometres away. It can drop up to 3,000-kilogram glide bombs from high altitudes, capable of destroying even the most formidable fortifications.

Meanwhile, NASAMS or FIM-92 Stinger systems are needed not only in front-line regions but also deep within Ukrainian territory to hunt low-flying cruise missiles such as the 3M14 Kalibr or Kh-101.

Due to the positional nature of the combat, artillery enabling the shelling of enemy positions, logistics in the rear, or assault groups long before they reach the fortifications of the opposing side is the most crucial means of combat. This results in Ukrainians using several thousand shells or several hundred GMLRS rockets over a few days, as seen north of Kharkiv.

The basic variants for 105 mm shells have a range of about 11 kilometres or 14 kilometres for rocket-boosted variants. In the case of the 2-CT Hawkeye, they are used with lightweight howitzers mounted even on HMMWV trucks.

Meanwhile, for 155 mm shells, a mix of the simplest M107 or M795 rounds, their slightly more expensive variants with a gas generator, and M549A1 rocket-assisted projectiles will be provided. Previously, guided M982 Excalibur shells were also sent to Ukraine, but they quickly became useless once electronic warfare systems disrupting satellite navigation became widespread.

In the first instance, these are shells introduced in the 1950s and 1990s, which are cheap designs consisting basically of a cast steel casing filled with 7 kilograms or 11 kilograms of TNT and a simple impact fuse.

These shells provide a maximum range of about 30 kilometres for artillery systems with a 52-calibre barrel length, such as Caesar or PzH 2000, or 23 kilometres for systems with a 39-calibre barrel length, such as M777. Then, we have M795E1 rounds with a gas generator that increases the range by about 30%.

The last type is the M549A1 round, where, due to the necessity of including a rocket motor with fuel in the shell, the TNT charge is reduced to 7 kilograms, but the range is drastically increased. For 52-calibre guns, this is up to 60 kilometres; for 39-calibre guns, it is 30 kilometres.

Sufficient supplies of this type of ammunition will determine whether Ukrainians can hold out despite the Russians' numerical superiority. America has been its largest supplier, and it is unknown if this will remain the case after this year's presidential elections.