3 weapons that may have bolstered Ukraine in war

NEW YORK >> When Russian President Vladimir Putin sent his forces into Ukraine a year ago, most observers expected a quick victory for the invaders.

Those early predictions of Russian success have not materialized, for what experts cite as a variety of factors, including higher morale and superior military tactics on the Ukrainian side but also — crucially — the supply of Western armaments.

Though recent headlines have made much of the potential for Western battle tanks or Patriot air defense systems to influence the war’s outcome, these systems have yet to be used in combat in Ukraine.

But there are other weapons that have already helped to change the course of the war.

Javelin

At the very beginning of the war, fighters on both sides were expecting Russian armored columns to begin rolling into the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv within days.

The Ukrainians needed something that could blunt that attack — and found it in the form of the Javelin, a shoulder-fired, guided anti-tank missile that can be deployed by a single individual.

Part of its appeal lies in its ease of use, as manufacturer Lockheed Martin, which co-developed the missile with Raytheon, explains: “To fire, the gunner places a cursor over the selected target. The Javelin command launch unit then sends a lock-onbefore-launch signal to the missile.”

The Javelin is a “fire and forget” weapon. As soon as its operator takes the shot, he is able to run for cover while the missile finds its way to the target.

This was particularly important in the early days of the war as the Russians tended to stay in columns when trying to enter urban areas. A Javelin operator could fire from a building or behind a tree and be gone before the Russians could fire back.

The Javelin is also good at targeting the weak spot of the Russian tanks — their horizontal surfaces — because its trajectory after launch sees it curve upward, then fall on the target from above, according to Lockheed Martin.

This could be seen in images early in the war of Russian tanks with their turrets blown off.

Indeed, so great was the Javelins’ impact that 21/2 months into the war, President Joe Biden visited the Alabama plant where they are made to praise the workforce for its help in defending Ukraine.

.There was one other advantage to the Javelins, particularly pertinent at the start of the war: They were politically acceptable.

“Their low cost and defensive usage make them politically easier for other countries to provide,” Michael Armstrong, an associate professor at Brock University in Ontario, wrote on the Conversation.

“By contrast, governments disagree about sending more expensive offensive weapons like warplanes.”

HIMARS

The full U.S. Army name is the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System. It’s “a full-spectrum, combat-proven, all-weather, 24/7, lethal and responsive, wheeled precision strike weapons system,” the U.S. Army says.

That’s a mouthful, but to put it more plainly, HIMARS is a 5-ton truck carrying a pod that can launch six rockets almost simultaneously, sending their explosive warheads well beyond the battlefield’s front lines, and then quickly change positions to avoid a counterstrike.

“If Javelin was the iconic weapon of the early phases of the war, HIMARS is the iconic weapon of the later phases,” Mark Cancian, senior adviser for the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International studies, wrote in January.

HIMARS fires munitions called the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System that have a range of about 50 miles.

And their GPS guidance systems make them extremely accurate, within about 33 feet of their intended target.

Last July, Russian reporter Roman Sapenkov said he witnessed a HIMARS strike on a Russian base at Kherson’s airport in territory Moscow’s forces had occupied at the time.

“I was struck by the fact that the whole packet, five or six rockets, landed practically on a penny,” he wrote.

Bayraktar TB2 drone

The Turkish-designed drone has become one of the world’s best-known unmanned aerial vehicles because of its use in the Ukraine war.

It’s relatively cheap, made with off-the-shelf parts, packs a lethal punch and records its kills on video.

Those videos have shown it taking out Russian armor, artillery and supply lines with the missiles, laser-guided rockets and smart bombs it carries.