It is diversifiedarsenal of Western weapons that Kiev can use to strike in Russian territory to immediately counter the advance of Moscow's troops, at least in the Kharkiv region.
Exclusion of Atacms
From the American packagesources in Washington highlighted to the Wall Street Journal in recent days, however, would be excluded Atacms, short-range tactical surface-to-surface missiles Srbm which have a range of up to 300 kilometres, the latest supply arriving in Kiev. It is not clear whether the Ukrainian soldiers will be able to use the less powerful ones already in the warehouses: the Atacms, produced by Lockheed-Martin in various versions, in fact have different ranges and until the turning point last April the US had only delivered those with a range maximum of 140 kilometres.
Green light for Himars and MLRS launch systems
Instead, the green light is given to the use of launch systems Himars And Mlrs to hit the Russian rear with the others American rockets available, which have a range of more than 70 kilometers, and with the ground launched small diameter bombs (small diameter bombs dropped from the ground, Glsdb), which instead can destroy a target up to 150 kilometers “within a one meter radius and at a 360 degree angle”, assures the manufacturer, Saab.
Artillery M777 howitzer
Among the other weapons supplied to Ukraine, not only by Washington but by several other countries, there are artillery pieces M777 howitzer, with a range of 40 kilometers and therefore theoretically capable of countering the Russian advance along the border. A hypothesis which however seems remote, the M777s would be ineffective and vulnerable, the Kiev military complains.
Storm Shadow and Scalp cruise missiles
On paper therefore, the most powerful weapons that Ukraine can use remain i Storm Shadow long-range cruise missiles British and their French version named Scalp. The bunker killer, which became famous in Iraq in 2003 against Saddam and in Libya in 2011 against Gaddafi, has a range of over 500 kilometers and is launched by fighters: it drops in altitude and flies towards the target, which it identifies thanks to an infrared system capable of adjusting the programmed route before launch. Once the target has been reached, a first warhead explodes to open an opening for the second, the main one, which penetrates the target and then detonates inside it. The speed and low altitude make the missile almost invisible to adversary defensive systems. British Defense Minister Grant Shapps reported that Italy would also supply these missiles to Kiev.