American HIMARS have been a “game changer” in the war

High-precision and long-range HIMARS missile systems have been a “game changer”, but “the war is grim” and Ukraine needs more weapons urgently.

This was stated by Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov during an interview to The Wall Street Journal.

He said the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, have been a “game-changer,” enabling Ukraine to target Russian forces in the northeastern town of Izyum. As a reminder, the advanced HIMARS systems are mobile launchers capable of striking targets from a maximum distance ranging from about 60 kilometers to nearly 500 kilometers depending on the type of ammunition used.

Reznikov said Ukraine has “passed the test” with its successful use of recently delivered US long-range artillery systems. Ukraine has also used US-supplied Harpoon missiles to take out a Russian supply ship on the Black Sea – key to their ability to recapture the strategic Snake Island.

“We needed to persuade them, to show them proof,” said Reznikov. “In the Izyum case, we were precise [in targeting] a Russian command center for aerial operations. It was really precise. Our partners saw it and said, ‘You passed the test.’”

However, the official stressed that the high attrition rate along its extensive front line has made the demand for additional supplies more urgent: “The war is grim... We need more. We need it quickly.”

“We need to refresh our platoons and change them and make replacements also because we also have a lot of losses. We are waiting for more armor, more weaponry from our partners. We need to rebuild some directions and to refresh our fortifications and plan a new operational strategy,” the minister specified.

Besides long-range weapons, topping Reznikov’s wish list are more armed vehicles, including tanks, as well as more unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, particularly as Ukraine ramps up naval operations to fight Russian ships positioned in the Black Sea, which are currently responsible for a blockade preventing Ukraine’s crucial grain supplies from reaching the global market.

Regarding HIMARS, on Friday, US President Joe Biden signed a decree granting Ukraine $400 million in military aid, which includes, among other things, four additional HIMARS multiple-launch rocket systems.

Author - Anastasiya Glotova, 11/07/2022