ATACMS missile (Photo: Lockheed Martin).
According to Newsweek , expert Phillips P. O'Brien from the University of St Andrews (UK) commented that the US's provision of long-range ATACMS missiles to Ukraine in the past may have been an ineffective move because the quantity was too small, not enough to meet the tactical needs of Kiev's forces.
According to Mr. O'Brien, Ukraine "should have received enough missiles to destroy all the airports" in the Moscow-controlled area.
Earlier, sources said that Ukraine received 20 ATACMS missiles with a range of 165km. When fired, this missile is capable of releasing 950 small shells, which can destroy a large area.
Ukraine announced that it used ATACMS missiles to attack military airports in two Russian-controlled areas, destroying nine enemy helicopters. Russia has not commented on this information.
This is the first time since the Russia-Ukraine conflict broke out that the US has decided to provide Kiev with long-range missiles. Washington has expressed concern that this type of missile could cause the conflict to escalate out of control.
Ukraine has reassured the US by pledging not to use long-range weapons to attack Russian territory. The US "nod" is considered a major turning point, but may not change the situation of the war.
ATACMS is an effective missile, but according to Mr. O'Brien, the US sending too few missiles to Ukraine was a mistake, because this gave Russia time to react and adapt, as well as find a way to intercept ATACMS.
With limited ATACMS, Ukraine must carefully calculate how to attack Russian targets selectively to ensure that no weapons are wasted. This will slow down the attack tempo, making it difficult to create a mass effect and giving Russia time to figure out how to intercept.
On October 25, the Russian Defense Ministry said that its air defense forces shot down two US-made ATACMS missiles during the military campaign in Ukraine. According to Tass news agency (Russia), this is the first time Russia has announced that it shot down two US ATACMS missiles.
Some military experts say that the West's "drip" of military aid to Ukraine could be detrimental to Kiev.
For example, it took Ukraine four months to counterattack before the delivery of US Abrams main battle tanks. The batch of 31 tanks was small in number and arrived at an unfavorable time, as winter was approaching.
Oleksiy Goncharenko, a Ukrainian parliamentarian, admitted that 31 tanks “cannot make a difference”, although Kiev was grateful for the US support.
Marina Miron, a researcher at King's College London (UK), added: "The number of Abrams is not enough to create a turning point in Ukraine".
The number of vehicles is small, she said, but Ukraine must create a new supply chain for ammunition and spare parts, as well as ensure there are enough fuel trucks to support the tanks.
“All this not only creates problems for the supply chain but also becomes an attractive target for Russian artillery and drones,” she warned.
Ukrainian officials admit that they need more ATACMS missiles to counter Russia. Ukrainian MP Goncharenko said that although ATACMS is very effective, just a few dozen missiles will not significantly change Ukraine's combat capabilities.
“We need hundreds of such missiles,” he said, admitting that the “dripping” of US aid was causing great difficulties for Ukraine.
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