 |
| The US to Send Heavy Missiles to Ukraine, Can Reach 70 Km Target |
International Military - The United States sent heavy guided missiles to Ukraine with a range of 70 km for use with several HIMARS rocket launchers. Deputy Secretary of Defense for US Policy Colin Kahl said this on Tuesday (14/6/2022).
The White House previously said the HIMARS launchers would be equipped with "battlefield munitions," widely understood to be unguided rockets with a shorter range. The high-mobility artillery rocket system will come with GMLRS-guided rockets, Kahl said Tuesday, speaking at a conference hosted by the Center for New American Security (CNAS), the Democratic Party-linked think tank where he used to work.
Read Also: US President Joe Biden Plans To Send More Advanced Missile System To Ukraine
“Sometimes when you see an image of an MLRS being fired, it's like a salvo of several rockets exploding at the same time. That's really not how this system is meant to operate," Kahl said.
The GMLRS is a precision-guided munition, and a large, 500 pound munition, think of the GMLRS more like an air strike effect than launching an entire salvo. So, in other words, you can do a lot with little, or you don't need a lot to have a significant effect."
When the White House first announced it would send HIMARS launchers to Ukraine on June 1, it said they would be armed with “battlefield munitions,” broadly defined as barrage rockets with a range of between 32 km and 60 km, given that HIMARS is also capable of launching ballistic projectiles. with a range of up to 300 km.
Read Also: Russia Reportedly Sinks Sloviansk Patrol Ship, US Coast Patrol Ship Donated to Ukraine
"The range does not depend on the system itself, but on the missiles used," Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a TV interview earlier this month. Putin added, "If the US sends long-range rockets, Russia will draw the right conclusions and use our weapons, which we have sufficient, to attack objects that we have not attacked."
Although the US initially promised four launchers and said they were "pre-positioned" in Europe, they have not yet reached Ukraine, according to the Pentagon. "The first group of Ukrainian artillery pieces is currently completing their training on the launchers," Kahl said. The HIMARS launcher is equipped with a single pod that can carry six GMLRS rockets, according to its maker, Lockheed Martin.
The M270 launcher, which the UK promised to Ukraine, carried two pods to double the payload. Kahl did not say how many rockets the US sent. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, since the beginning of the conflict, Ukraine has lost more than 500 rocket launch systems and more than 1,900 artillery pieces.
Read Also: US Alerts Tens Of Thousands Of Troops And Weapons At The Ukraine-Nato Border
Kiev has asked its allies in the West to provide more weapons and ammunition. "We will give Ukraine what they need to demand targets within Ukrainian territory that they want to pursue," Kahl said at the end of his remarks about HIMARS.
On Monday, authorities in the Donetsk People's Republic reported the heaviest Ukrainian shelling since 2015, with an "indiscriminate" attack in the city of Donetsk that left five people dead and nearly 40 civilians injured. "Among the incoming shells was 155 mm ammunition used by howitzers supplied to Ukraine by the US and other NATO allies," said authorities in the Donbass Republic, which is seeking additional military assistance from Russia.
Moscow condemned the shooting of the Donbass civilian as "absolutely barbaric." A spokesman for the UN secretary general said: "The shooting at the Donetsk maternity hospital is a clear violation of international humanitarian law."
Read Also: Weapon Exports To Ukraine, Poland Makes Big Profits Worth USD630 million