Michael Winfrey
Sun, January 15, 2023
Ukraine’s allies have provided more than 4,000 armored vehicles, artillery pieces, aircraft and other weapon systems to help Kyiv fight Russia, and now NATO’s most powerful members are sending more lethal arms.
After months of caution, the UK said on Saturday it would provide Kyiv with Challenger 2s, among NATO’s most powerful top-shelf main battle tanks. That followed announcements from France, the US and Germany that they would provide Kyiv with fighting vehicles and has raised pressure on governments to give Ukraine more of the alliance’s best armored vehicles designed to destroy other tanks and take back territory from an enemy.
Here is a breakdown of some of the main systems that Ukraine has received, according to Oryx, a Dutch open-source defense analysis website, as well as announcements from Ukraine’s allies. The numbers are approximations and couldn’t be independently verified by Bloomberg. They may include items pledged but not delivered, and other items not included may have been delivered but not made public.
Tanks
410 Soviet-era tanks delivered by NATO members in former communist bloc, including Poland, Czech Republic and Slovenia.
The UK pledged to send Challenger 2s to Ukraine, the first time a Western country will have provided Ukraine with modern main battle tanks to fight Russian forces. The Sun newspaper said 12 would be sent in at least two shipments, although the UK government didn’t confirm the number.
Poland pledged a “company” of German-made Leopard 2 battle tanks if other NATO allies make a similar commitment.
Discussions continue in the US and Germany about whether they could also send main battle tanks.
Western defense officials meet Jan. 20 at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, where they will likely discuss sending more tanks. So far they have been concerned that doing so could provoke a response from Russia.
Armored/Infantry Fighting Vehicles
300 in all, including 250 Soviet-designed IFVs from former communist states.
In a first, France announced last week it will deliver an unspecified number of AMX-10RC wheeled tank destroyers.
The US and Germany said they will provide 50 and 40 Bradley and Marder fighting vehicles, respectively.
IFVs can transport troops and provide close attack support, including against enemy tanks. David Perkins, a retired US four-star general, said it would be “more than a match” for the T-72s that make up the bulk of Russia’s tank fleet.
Armored Personnel Carriers
1,100 in all, including 300 M113 troop carriers and 250 M117s.
More than 160 US-made M113s from seven other countries including the UK, Lithuania, Australia, Germany, Denmark, Portugal and Spain.
Several hundred other vehicles, including armored medical treatment centers.
Distinct from Infantry Fighting Vehicles, these armored transports can carry forces on the battlefield, but they have lighter weapons such as heavy machine guns that are mainly used for self defense.
Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) Vehicles
About 925 in all, including 440 US M1224 MaxxPros.
90 Australian Bushmasters and a number of UK Wolfhounds and Mastiffs.
These vehicles are similar to APCs but are specifically designed with angled hulls to protect occupants against mines and improvised explosive devices.
Infantry Mobility Vehicles
More than 1,540, including including 1,250 US-made High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles, or Humvees.
These wheeled personnel carriers — usually armored — move soldiers around the battlefield in attack, reconnaissance and patrol roles.
Artillery
300 towed howitzers.
Of those, more than 210 155mm M777s and 72 105mm Howitzers from the US.
400+ pieces of self-propelled artillery, of which 180 is on order.
Of those, more than 20 155mm howitzers from Britain, and 18 each from Poland, Germany and the US, among others.
Multiple Rocket Launchers
95 in all.
38 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, known as HIMARS, made by US-based Lockheed Martin.
40+ 122mm communist-era multiple rocket launchers from Poland and the Czech Republic.
One of the most potent weapons for Ukraine, HIMARS allow for accurate, long-range strikes. Ukraine has used them mainly to destroy Russian ammunition dumps and command and control centers, as well as troop assembly points.
Anti-Air Systems
37 German Gepard self-propelled tanks.
Eight US-made NASAMS missile batteries.
One US and one German-provided Patriot missile battery.
Six Strela-10Ms rocket systems from the Czech Republic.
Six Stormer HVMs from the UK.
A handful of other surface-to-air missile systems from Slovakia, Germany, Spain, France and Poland.
The German Gepards are self-propelled tanks that can shoot down low-flying cruise missiles, while the rocket systems can hit airborne targets at higher altitudes. In December, both the US and Germany said they would each donate a Patriot missile battery — the most advanced Western anti-aircraft system that can target shorter-range ballistic missiles of the type that could carry a tactical nuclear warhead, a threat that Russian President Vladimir Putin has suggested is an option.
Aircraft
14 Russian-made Su-25 ground-attack jets purchased from Bulgaria by NATO states and delivered to Ukraine.
Four Su-25s from North Macedonia.
20 Russian-made Mi17 helicopters originally destined for Afghanistan donated by the US.
11 Soviet-designed helicopters from the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Latvia.
Three UK Westland Sea Kings.
Six Russian-made Kamov helicopters from Portugal.
30+Bayraktar TB2 drones from Turkey, plus one each from Lithuania and Poland.
Hundreds of US Switchblade loitering munition systems.
415 reconnaissance drones.
Long-Range Missiles
No one has agreed to Kyiv’s request for the long-range guided Army Tactical Missile System, known as ATACAMS, which can hit targets with at much further distances than HIMARS.
Some Western officials have voiced concerns about giving Ukrainian forces more potential to strike targets deep inside Russia, as it could lead to a direct confrontation with Moscow.
Others
Other items include missiles that can be used against enemy radar, ships, and surface targets, as well as electronic warfare equipment, unmanned waterborne vessels, radar equipment and other systems.
--With assistance from Jeremy Diamond and Patrick Donahue.
©2023 Bloomberg L.P.
Ukraine will now get Western tanks.
Why it matters
STORY: As fighting continues in eastern Ukraine, the United Kingdom's government has confirmed that it will be the first NATO country to supply its ally with Western tanks.
A squadron of 14 tanks called the "Challenger 2" will deploy to the conflict in the coming weeks.
But what is the Challenger 2 and what kind impact can it have on the war?
The Challenger 2 is what's called a main battle tank, or MBT, and it's specifically designed to attack other tanks and armored vehicles, seen here during NATO exercises two years ago.
Until now Ukraine's military has primarily relied on its older, Soviet-era tanks. It's also captured and re-purposed some of Russia's during the invasion.
President Zelenskiy has long pleaded with allied countries to include their tanks in aid packages, but some Western officials have been cautious over the concern that Russia or even China could get their hands on advanced Western military technology.
Moscow is also likely to see the introduction of Western tanks onto the battlefield as an escalation of the war and NATO is desperate not to be drawn more directly into it.
The Challenger 2 has been in service with the British army since 1994 and has been deployed to Bosnia, Iraq, and other crises.
The UK's gift could put added pressure on other NATO countries, particularly the U.S. and Germany, to give their own tanks, which have so far resisted.
Along with the Challenger 2, Britain is also giving Ukraine about 30 artillery vehicles called the "AS-90."
It will take time to train Ukrainian forces on how to use the British tanks and artillery, and Russia's London embassy is dismissing the development.
The embassy says the Challengers are unlikely to turn the tide of the war, will drag it out, and will be targeted by Russia's own forces.
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