Western Heavy Materiel Support To Ukraine: What Has, And What Hasn't, Arrived...
Pictured: the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System ‘HIMARS’
The amount of heavy materiel support to Ukraine has thankfully increased over the past months as Western nations have begun to take repeated Ukrainian requests for heavy weaponry seriously. However this has made tracking exactly what Western nations have delivered or pledged increasingly difficult. This article - an updated version of a previous piece I wrote for Newlines Institute back in May - is an attempt to monitor the delivery of this assistance.
As before, only materiel that has been pledged by an authoritative source (such as a member of a national government) or that has been visually confirmed as being delivered to Ukraine will be included. Because it is impossible to know for sure the exact progress of Western deliveries of a specific system, it is considered ‘delivered’ if there is visual evidence of the system being used in Ukraine, or the delivery is confirmed by an official source.
This article will be periodically updated as more heavy weapons are supplied to the Ukrainian military.
Heavy Artillery
Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS)
DELIVERED: RM-70 (an upgraded Czechoslovak version of the BM-21 ‘Grad’) from Czechia, the exact number is unconfirmed but is reported to be “about 20,” according to the Wall Street Journal. Several of these vehicles were shown being transported via rail to Ukraine by independent monitor Ukraine Weapons Tracker.
DELIVERED: A unknown number of RM-70 ‘Vampire’ MRLS from Czechia. A further upgrade of the Czechoslovak RM-70, the ‘Vampire’ is a modern system, dating from 2015, and features a new Tatra chassis, upgraded fire control, and NBC protection. Delivery was visually confirmed when footage of the system in Ukrainian service was posted on social media on 11th July.
DELIVERED: An unknown number of BM-21 “Grad” MLRS from Poland have also been delivered to Ukraine, as confirmed by Polish state radio in late April.
The “Grad” and similar systems are old and relatively unsophisticated – not too different from the famous “Stalin’s organ” Katyusha rocket launchers that terrified German soldiers during the Second World War – but the Ukrainians know how to use and maintain them, and they are still capable of saturating an area with fire in a short time. They are also relatively common in the arsenals of ex-Soviet NATO members.
DELIVERED: 16 M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System ‘HIMARS’ from the United States. A wheeled, more mobile version of the M270 MLRS, supply of these systems was announced by President Biden on May the 31st and confirmed by the Pentagon as part of a $700m security assistance package. The first four systems had already been prepositioned in Europe in anticipation of the announcement, enabling swift delivery to the Ukrainians. On 23rd June, Ukrainian Defence Secretary Oleksii Reznikov confirmed the first four systems had been delivered to Ukraine. On the same day, the Pentagon announced an additional four systems would be supplied to Ukraine, on July 8th, a further four systems were promised, and on 20th July yet another shipment of four systems was pledged.
DELIVERED: 6 M270B1 Multiple Launch Rocket Systems ‘GMLRS’ from the United Kingdom and Norway. Immediately after the US decision to supply ‘HIMARS’ to Ukraine, the British government sought and received permission from the United States to supply 3 American made M270B1 GMLRS systems to Ukraine. These systems will be taken directly from British Army stocks and supplied with M31A1 munitions “at scale”. On 29th June the Norwegian and British governments announced a further 3 systems would be supplied from British Army stocks and which would then be replaced by ex-Norwegian Army vehicles currently in storage. On the 16th of July Ukrainian Defence Secretary Oleksii Reznikov confirmed the first of these systems had arrived in Ukraine.
DELIVERED: 3 MARS II ‘Mittleres Artillerie Raketen System’ from Germany. A lightly modified Bundeswehr variant of the American M270, these systems were pledged to Ukraine by German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht and confirmed in a press release after the June 15th Ukraine Defense Contact Group conference. Delivery of these systems was confirmed by both Lambrecht and the Ukrainian government on 26th of July.
The M270/HIMARS are the most effective MLRS systems in service today. Most importantly they are incredibly accurate, with 50% of all rockets fired landing within 5 meters of the desired target, and the supplied M31 unitary rockets have a range of up to 80 km. They are extremely fast to reload, using a modular ‘pod’ system that allows a new salvo to be ready to fire in five minutes, compared to around 40 minutes for a comparable Russian system.
Perhaps as significantly as the supply of the systems themselves, the United States publicly committed to providing intelligence to enable Ukraine to maximize their effectiveness, with US Deputy Secretary of Defense for Political Affairs Colin Cole confirming that the US “will provide the Ukrainians with what they need to strike selected targets on Ukrainian territory.”
Towed Howitzers
DELIVERED: 126 M777 155mm howitzers from the United States.
18 Announced in the $800 million assistance package unveiled by the White House on April 13. A further 72 were promised in the second assistance package unveiled April 21, and an additional 18 pledged as part of a further assistance package on June 15th. According to chief Pentagon spokesman John Kirby, “more than half” of the 90 howitzers pledged to Ukraine had arrived in the country by April 27.
The Australian government pledged an additional 6 M777A2 howitzers on April 26, and Canada pledged 4 M777C1 on April 22 - both of these pledges have now been delivered. The Canadians have also supplied an unknown quantity of M982 Excalibur precision guided shells.
DELIVERED: At least 10 FH70 155mm howitzers from Estonia - according to a source in the Estonian government - and an unknown number from Italy. Delivery confirmed visually via numerous sources.
Another relatively modern Western system, the FH70 has a 24-30 km range depending on the type of munition, and features an integrated auxiliary power unit that powers the hydraulic loading system and allows the gun to relocate itself over short distances without the use of a towing vehicle. It also enables a higher maximum rate of fire than the more modern M777 - being capable of ‘burst firing’ 3 rounds in 15 seconds.
DELIVERED: 56 L119 105mm light guns from The United Kingdom and the United States. The British provided guns were purchased for the Ukrainians from a private British military surplus company and training on these guns was carried out in the United Kingdom as a joint operation between Britain and New Zealand. They were visually confirmed to have arrived in Ukraine by July 24th. On August 16th the Pentagon announced the United States would be sending 16 additional guns as well as a large number of 105mm shells. A further 4 guns were announced in the September 8th $675m assistance package.
These guns fire a smaller shell over a shorter range than 155mm guns like the M777, but are much lighter, more easily transported around the battlefield, and are able to maintain a higher sustained rate of fire. Used to great effect during The Falklands War, they remain in frontline British and American service.
DELIVERED: An unknown number of 105mm M101 howitzers from Lithuania. Delivery was confirmed to be in progress as of September 8th, according to the Ukrainian General Staff. These are old guns, but still effective for giving second line units organic artillery support and useful for training. Lithuania currently had 18 M101 in active service, per 'The Military Balance, 2022'.
DELIVERED: 9 D-30 122mm howitzers from Estonia. These ex-Soviet weapons were delivered at the start of April, according to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense.
PROMISED: 5 M114A1 155mm howitzers from Portugal, according to government sources quoted in the Portuguese press.
First entering service during World War Two, these guns are very old but still functional, remaining in service with multiple armies worldwide. Given their limited range in comparison to other Ukrainian artillery pieces they will probably be given to Territorial Defense units or used for training.
Self-propelled Howitzers
DELIVERED: 20 to 30 ShKH vz. 77 DANA 152mm self-propelled howitzers from Czechia. An unknown number of these vehicles had been delivered by mid-April, and one was shown in action in footage posted by Ukraine Weapons Tracker.
An older but still effective system, the wheeled DANA’s high mobility allows for rapid repositioning after firing a salvo. The main downside with this system - and others using Soviet 152mm caliber shells - is that stocks of these munitions are starting to run low, in contrast to near limitless supplies of 155mm shells from NATO stocks.
DELIVERED: 2S1 Goździk 122mm self-propelled howitzers from Poland. An unknown number of these vehicles were confirmed to have been delivered to Ukraine by Polish state media at the end of April. They were visually confirmed as being in Ukrainian service by 23rd June.
A Polish-produced variant of the 2S1 Gvozdika, which Ukraine already operates in large numbers, these old but effective ex-Soviet self-propelled guns were able to enter Ukrainian service immediately, with no additional training or logistical support needed.
DELIVERED: 18 CAESAR 155mm self-propelled howitzers from France. French President Emmanuel Macron pledged to supply 12 of the howitzers in an interview with Ouest-France, and a further 6 systems were confirmed during Macron’s visit to Kyiv on 16th June.
An extremely capable modern weapon, taken directly from French Army stocks. Since arriving in Ukraine service, the CAESAR has been highly praised by the Ukrainian military for its mobility, accuracy, ease of use, and the protection it offers the crew. Able to operate close to the front lines, the Ukrainians consider it pound for pound the most effective artillery system supplied so far. The French have also supplied “Ralec” proximity fused shells for these guns, which detonate at a pre-designated height above the ground, making them deadly against dug-in infantry.
DELIVERED: 18 AHS Krab 155mm self-propelled howitzers donated by Poland, with a further 54 purchased and to be delivered in the coming months - the first 6 of which had been produced by 30th July. The Poles also supplied the associated LPG battery command vehicles to the Ukrainian military.
A modern, tracked self-propelled gun, the AHS Krab features a standard range of 30km and a maximum range of 40km with ‘base bleed’ artillery rounds. It has a sustained rate of fire of 6 rounds per minute and is extremely accurate. Already deployed in the East of Ukraine, around Severodonetsk, these guns have been incredibly effective according to Ukrainian military figures.
DELIVERED: Over 48 M109 155mm self-propelled howitzers, from Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States. Norway provided 22 M109A3GN ex-Norwegian army models from storage. The United Kingdom purchased 20 M109A4BE from a Belgian arms dealer and supplied them to Ukraine. On the 15th August, Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov confirmed that Latvia had transferred 6 M109A5Ö models to Ukraine. According to a senior member of the Ukrainian military, the United States has also provided them with an unspecified number of systems.
The M109 has been a mainstay of Western armies since its introduction in the 1960s. Although now being replaced by more modern systems, it is still in active service with the United States and dozens of other militaries worldwide, having been continuously upgraded throughout its operation life. It is still an accurate, hard hitting, and long ranged weapon.
DELIVERED: 18 Panzerhaubitze 2000 155mm self-propelled howitzers - 10 from Germany and 8 from The Netherlands. According to Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, the ammunition for these systems will be provided by Germany and training for Ukrainian crews will be a Dutch-German joint operation. On the 11th of June, Andrii Melnyk, Ukrainian Ambassador to Germany confirmed the German systems were expected to enter Ukrainian service “around the 22nd of June”. On the 21st of June, Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov confirmed that these weapons were now in the Ukrainian arsenal, and on the 28th of June both Germany and The Netherlands agreed to deliver an additional 3 units each. The additional systems promised by Germany arrived in Ukraine on July 26th.
The P2000 is one of the best self-propelled guns in the world. It is powerful, highly accurate, fast firing – it has the ability to “burst fire” three rounds in nine seconds – and has a very long range. It also has the ability to fire rounds in ‘Multi Round Simultaneous Impact’ mode - automatically adjusting the elevation of the barrel between shots so multiple rounds arrive on target at the same time.
DELIVERED: 8 ShKH Zuzana 2 155mm self-propelled howitzers from Slovakia. Confirmed in a statement by Slovak Defense Minister Jaro Naď, training on these systems had apparently already began when the contract was signed at the beginning of June, with delivery to follow shortly after. The first four vehicles were confirmed delivered on August 13th.
A heavily upgraded version of the older Czechoslovak ShKH vz. 77 DANA, the Zuzana 2 has fully digital fire control and is extremely accurate. Like the Panzerhaubitze 2000, it can also fire rounds in ‘Multi Round Simultaneous Impact’ mode.
PROMISED: 10 “self-propelled artillery systems” from the United Kingdom. Announced by the British Government after Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s conversation with Zelensky on July the 5th, the exact type has not yet been revealed. It is however possible that like the previously supplied 20 M109A4BE systems these guns will be purchased from the open market.
Heavy Armor
Tanks
DELIVERED: T-72M1/M1R from Poland. The exact number is unconfirmed but is “over 240,” according to Polish officials quoted in The Wall Street Journal. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki had earlier confirmed delivery of the vehicles, which constitutes well over a third of the type in Polish service.
DELIVERED: “Significant numbers” of PT-91 “Twardy” tanks from Poland. An upgraded indigenous Polish version of the T-72M1, the delivery was confirmed by Polish Arms Agency press-secretary Lieutenant Colonel Krzysztof Platek in an interview on 25th July.
DELIVERED: “Dozens” of T-72M1 from Czechia, according to a Czech defense source cited in Reuters. Footage of the Czech tanks being shipped by rail to Ukraine was later uploaded to social media.
DELIVERED: At least 8 T-72A from North Macedonia. The Macedonian Defence Ministry announced on July 29th that a “a certain quantity of tanks… will be donated to Ukraine”. The Macedonians have 31 T-72A tanks in their inventory, according to The Military Balance, 2022, and at least 8 of these were visually confirmed as being in transfer to Ukraine.
PROMISED: M-84A4 “Sniper” tanks from Slovenia. An upgraded Yugoslavian variant of the T-72, these vehicles are to be delivered to Ukraine in exchange for more modern replacement tanks supplied to the Slovenians by Germany. Slovenia currently has 19 operational M-84A4s and 32 in storage.
The T-72 is an old tank, and is generally considered outdated by Western standards. But they’ve still got a very powerful 125mm gun, and used properly they can still be very effective. While they can’t go toe to toe with the most modern Russian tanks, Ukraine’s plentiful supply of long-range anti tank guided missiles means that they often won’t need to. Perhaps more importantly, the Ukrainians can operate or maintain them without any additional training, and they have been quickly and cheaply “up armoring” them by bolting on blocks of explosive reactive armor.
Additionally, the Polish M1R models have been upgraded with modern thermal imaging equipment and upgraded communications systems, whilst the PT-91 Twardy models are even more heavily modified, featuring ERAWA explosive reactive armour as standard amongst a host of other upgrades, making them much more effective than their age might suggest. And significantly, the impressive number of these vehicles donated to Ukraine means the country probably has more tanks in its arsenal now than it did at the start of the war.
Armored Vehicles
DELIVERED: A number of BWP-1 infantry fighting vehicles from Poland were seen being delivered alongside Polish T-72s in mid-April. The BWP-1 is a Polish version of the ubiquitous Soviet BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicle. Additionally, several BVP-1 infantry fighting vehicles – the Czech version of the same vehicle – were seen being delivered by rail in a report broadcast on Czech television.
DELIVERED: 56 Pbv-501 from Czechia. Another lightly modified BMP-1 variant, these vehicles were originally East German before being exported to Sweden after the fall of the Berlin Wall. When withdrawn from Swedish service, they were exported once more to Czechia, where they sat in storage until the German government approved their delivery to Ukraine at the start of April.
PROMISED: 20 to 30 BMP-1A1 ‘Ost’ from Greece, according to an interview with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Also originally in the service of East Germany, these vehicles are being transferred to Ukraine and being replaced by more modern German infantry fighting vehicles.
Despite being obsolescent, the BMP-1 can still be useful – an old armored vehicle is better than no armored vehicle – and like the older T-72s, it can be used for training, in second-line or territorial defense units, and to free up more modern infantry fighting vehicles for front-line units. These vehicles also are familiar to the Ukrainians and can be operated and maintained without any additional training.
DELIVERED: 35 M-80A infantry fighting vehicles from Slovenia. Confirmed by Slovenian Defense Minister Marjan Šarec, in a press conference after a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels on June 16th. The exact type was not revealed until photographic evidence of these vehicles being delivered was published on June 21st. Similar in design to the Soviet BMP-2, the M-80A is armed with a 20mm cannon and can carry anti-tank guided missiles.
DELIVERED: 60 Bushmaster infantry mobility vehicles from Australia, which began arriving mid-April, according to the Australian government. The Bushmaster is highly mobile and able to mount a variety of weapons, from automatic grenade launchers to heavy machine guns. On July 3rd Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced another 20 vehicles would be delivered during his visit to Kyiv.
DELIVERED: “significant quantities” of VAB armored personnel carriers from France, according to French Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu, during an interview with French media. A wheeled armoured personnel carrier that comes in both 4x4 and 6x6 configurations, the VAB is currently being replaced in French service by new vehicles, but is still an effective design and can be supplied to the Ukrainians in large numbers. On June 24th, convoy of VAB vehicles of various configurations was seen being transported through Slovakia on its way to Ukraine.
DELIVERED: 50 BMC 4x4 Kirpi mine resistant infantry mobility vehicles from Turkey, with another 150 scheduled to be delivered in the coming months. Delivery was confirmed by Ukrainian MP Yuri Mysyagin in a post on his Telegram channel. The Kirpi is highly mobile and saw extensive service during Turkish operations in North Syria and Iraq; by all accounts acquitted itself well.
DELIVERED: Over 300 M113 armored personnel carriers from various countries. 200 M113s were promised as part of a $800m assistance package unveiled by the White House on April 13. 54 M113s were promised as part of an assistance package announced by Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen during a visit to Kyiv in late April. 15 M113As were promised by Portugal at the beginning of May, Australian Defense Minister Peter Dutton announced the transfer of 14 M113AS4s on 19th May, whilst the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense announced a delivery of 20 M113A1s on 25th May and an additional shipment of an unspecified number of M113A1s on 20th July. On July 3rd Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced another 14 M113s would be delivered from Australia.
Additionally by May visual evidence proved the Dutch government had delivered an unknown number of YPR-765 armored personnel carriers, a lightly upgraded version of the M113A1 with better crew protection and improved running gear.
An old design, originating in the 1960s, the M113 is being slowly replaced in frontline service in most modern armies. Despite being lightly armored, it can still fulfill a supporting role on the modern battlefield, offering protection for infantry against light weapons and artillery fragments. These vehicles are also rugged and easy to repair, and can potentially be supplied in great numbers.
DELIVERED: 35 FV103 Spartan tracked armored personnel carriers from the United Kingdom, plus a currently unknown number of other variants of the ‘Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked)’ platform. These were pledged by Armed Forces Minister James Heappey and visually confirmed as being delivered by mid June.
DELIVERED: 80 protected mobility vehicles from the United Kingdom. A mixture of Mastiff, Wolfhound, and Husky vehicles, taken directly from ex-British Army stock. As of 17th June, a number of these vehicles have been seen being used by the Ukrainian military.
These vehicles differ in capability depending on the model in question. The wheeled Mastiff, Wolfhound, and Husky models are veterans of the British campaign in Afghanistan and as such are designed for crew survivability against roadside bombs and are quick on road. The tracked CVR(T) models, supplied variants of which will include the Spartan armored personnel carrier, the Samaritan armored ambulance, and the Samson armored recovery vehicle, offer superior offroad performance.
DELIVERED: 250 M1114 armored HMMWV infantry mobility vehicles. Announced as part of the April 13th assistance package, these vehicles had been seen in service with the Ukrainian military as of mid-May. On the 19th of August the Pentagon announced a further 50 would be supplied to Ukraine, whilst a further 100 vehicles were announced in the September 8th assistance package.
DELIVERED: 7x Alvis 4 mine resistant armored personnel carriers from Estonia. A UK-made version of the South African Mamba, these vehicles were pictured in Ukrainian service in mid-May. Ex-Estonian Army stock, they are well armored, highly mobile, and well protected against mines and improvised explosive devices.
DELIVERED: An unknown number of Iveco ‘VTLM Lince’ infantry mobility vehicles from Italy. These highly mobile mine protected vehicles were visually confirmed to have been delivered when they were shown in Ukrainian service at the end of June. The delivered vehicles appear to have been taken directly from Italian Army stock as they are shown still painted in Esercito Italiano camouflage.
DELIVERED: 14 Iveco ‘LAV III’ infantry mobility vehicles from Norway. The same basic model as the ‘VTLM Lince’ vehicles delivered by Italy, Norwegian Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram confirmed delivery of these vehicles on 29th July.
DELIVERED: At least 40 M1224 MaxxPro mine resistant armoured patrol vehicles from the United States. These vehicles were visually confirmed as in Ukrainian service by mid-August, despite their delivery not having been announced at the time by any partner nation. On the 19th of August the Pentagon announced 40 would be supplied to Ukraine, along with with mine clearing rollers. The MaxxPro itself is a heavily armoured and capable MRAP that saw extensive service in Iraq and Afghanistan.
DELIVERED: An unknown number of AMZ Dzik-2 from Poland. A lightly armored infantry mobility vehicle, Ukrainian forces were seen training with the type in mid May.
DELIVERED: Canadian Defense Minister Anita Anand promised 8 Roshel Senator armored personnel carriers from Canada. The Roshel Senator is a lightly armored wheeled vehicle intended for law enforcement use – it will most likely be used by elements of the Ukrainian National Guard or Territorial Defense. These vehicles were confirmed delivered as of 23rd May.
PROMISED: 50 “armoured medical treatment vehicles” from the United States. Announced in the September 8th assistance package, it is not yet known exactly which type of vehicle will be supplied to fulfil this pledge.
PROMISED: 39 ‘Armored Combat Support Vehicles’ from Canada. Announced by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the NATO summit in Madrid in June, these vehicles are currently under construction by General Dynamics Land Systems Canada for the Canadian Army, but will be diverted to Ukraine instead. They are expected to be delivered in a mixture of configurations, including ambulances, mobile repair and recovery vehicles, engineer support vehicles and command posts.
This is a significant pledge, as it marks the first time armored vehicles under construction for a major Western military have been pledged to Ukraine, before they’ve even entered service. As would be expected from such modern vehicles, the ‘Armored Combat Support Vehicles’ are capable and well protected.
PROMISED: 4 Iveco VM 90P light armored trucks from Portugal. These vehicles were previously used by the Portuguese National Guard and were deployed in Iraq. Not designed for frontline service, they still offer more protection than unarmored civilian vehicles.
PROMISED: An unspecified number of M577 armoured command post carriers from Lithuania, pledged on 20th July. A variant of the ubiquitous M113 platform, Lithuania has 22 M577s in service, according to The Military Balance, 2022. They are largely used in the command and medevac role.
PROMISED: 16 ‘Biber’ bridge laying tanks from Germany. Confirmed by the German defense ministry on 29th July, the first 6 models will arrive “in the autumn”, with the other ten vehicles being delivered in 2023.
Long-Range Artillery Missiles/Tactical Missiles
None have been promised or delivered as yet. Despite the fact the promised HIMARS/M270 systems can fire the ATACMS surface to surface missile with a range of up to 300km, supply of this munition has presently been explicitly ruled out by Washington.
This is almost certainly due to Western fears that targets inside Russia – although unambiguously legal under the laws of armed conflict – would be attacked by Western-manufactured or supplied weapons, with the potential escalatory risk this engenders.
The counterargument to this concern is that targets inside Russia have been repeatedly struck by Turkish supplied Bayraktar TB2 drones, with very little Russian response directed toward Ankara. The British and Americans have also been increasingly bullish about the Ukrainian right to strike targets inside Russia, with Heappey stating it was “not necessarily a problem" if Ukraine used U.K.-supplied weapons to strike inside Russia, whilst Blinken stressed Ukraine’s right to “do whatever is necessary to defend against Russian aggression” in testimony to a congressional panel.
Anti-Ship-Missiles
DELIVERED: Brimstone Sea Spear anti-ship missiles from the United Kingdom. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson stated in Parliament that vehicle-mounted Brimstone Sea Spear missiles were being developed by the Ministry of Defense.
On April 27, Heappey was quoted in The Times as saying “hundreds” of Brimstone missiles would be provided in “the next few weeks.” The Brimstone has also been deployed in the ground to ground attack role, with footage showing Ukrainian forces training with a truck mounted Brimstone launcher emerging in mid-May.
DELIVERED: Harpoon anti-ship missiles and a land based launcher from Denmark, with additional missiles supplied by the United Kingdom and The Netherlands. On the 15th of June the Pentagon announced the United States would supply an additional two Harpoon coastal defense systems as part of a $1bn assistance package.
The successful delivery and deployment of these missiles was dramatically demonstrated on June 17th, when Russian military tug Spasatel Vasily Bekh was hit by two shore fired Harpoons whilst sailing on a supply mission to Russian occupied Snake Island in the western Black Sea.
PROMISED: RBS-17 coastal defense missile system - also known as the “Hellfire Shore Defense System” from Sweden. A far shorter ranged system than either the Harpoon or the Ukrainian Neptun which have ranges approaching 200km, the RBS-17 has a range of 10 km and is designed to strike targets sailing close to the shoreline.
Whilst the port of Odesa is not currently under realistic threat, the need to provide anti-ship missiles is arguably as crucial as it has ever been. The de-facto Russian blockade of Ukrainian grain exports has helped create a global food crisis, and only neutralizing the threat of the Black Sea Fleet will allow commercial maritime traffic to resume.
A Ukrainian military figure pointed to the fact they created their own de facto “no fly zone” over much of Ukraine and suggested they would be able to open the Black Sea ports themselves as well, given sufficient stocks of anti-ship missiles. This should be considered a “humanitarian imperative” given the coming global food crisis, he said.
Air Defense Systems
Mid to Long-Range Surface-to-Air systems
DELIVERED: One battery of the S-300PMU air defense system and 45 missiles were delivered by Slovakia on April 8, with footage of the system being delivered to Ukraine via rail being published by the Slovakian government.
Long range, accurate, and extremely powerful, the S-300 is one of the most capable surface-to-air missile systems in the world. Despite being of ex-Soviet origin, it still holds up favorably in comparison to more modern systems, and the Ukrainians have been using their existing stocks incredibly effectively.
PROMISED: Eight NASAMS air defence systems from the United States. Two were announced as part of the 14th American military assistance package for Ukraine on July 1st. Due to arrive in late Autumn, this represents the first time advanced mid-to-long range air defence systems have been supplied directly to Ukraine by the United States. An additional six systems were announced in the August 24th security package. These systems are to be delivered over the “mid- to long-term”.
The “National Advanced Surface to Air Missile System” is an extremely sophisticated air defence system - its capability demonstrated by the fact the United States currently employ the system to defend the airspace above Washington D.C. The system employs a variety of ground launched air-to-air missiles is effective against both aircraft and cruise missiles. Depending on the number of launchers, the model and the missile fired, the system can engage a maximum of 72 targets simultaneously with a range of up to 50km. In other words - each one of these systems can effectively protect a Ukrainian city from Russian air attack.
PROMISED: Four IRIS-T SLM short to medium range air defense systems from Germany. Announced by German Chancellor Scholz on the 1st of June, the IRIS-T SLM is a state of the art air defense system that, according to Scholz, will “completely protect one Ukrainian city from air attack”. The first system is scheduled for delivery in December 2022. On the 23rd of August, Scholz announced that three additional systems would be sent “over the next year”.
Short-Range Air Defense Systems
DELIVERED: A number of Strela-10 short range SAM systems from Czechia. According to Reuters, these systems were spotted on a train apparently bound for Ukraine.
The Strela-10 is old but still effective against the helicopter gunships that the Russians operate in large numbers. It can also be used against slower, low flying Russian fixed wing attack aircraft like the Su-25.
DELIVERED: 6 Stormer HVM carriers from the United Kingdom. The Stormer mounts the Starstreak high-velocity missile on the CVR(T) chassis for extra mobility and crew protection. The targeting system is more sophisticated than the man-portable version as well.
Starstreak missiles are fast, extremely destructive, and immune to spoofing by Russian countermeasures. They can also be used to target lightly armored ground vehicles.
DELIVERED: 30 Flakpanzer Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft guns from Germany. Approved by Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht on April 25, the supply of these ex-Bundeswehr vehicles marks the first time Germany has directly supplied heavy weapons. Originally 50 were promised, but this was reduced to 30, provided in two tranches of 15, with the first delivery is scheduled to arrive in July. Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov confirmed the first three systems had arrived in Ukraine on 25th July.
The Gepard itself is an older system, but the Russians are still flying many of the helicopters and attack aircraft it was originally designed to combat. Its twin autocannons can also effectively engage infantry and lightly armored vehicles.
DELIVERED: An unknown number of 23 ItK 61 23mm anti-aircraft guns from Finland. A modified version of the venerable Soviet ZSU-23-2, the 23 ItK 61s provided to Ukraine were revealed in social media posts by the 122nd Odesa TDF Brigade.
Combat aircraft
DELIVERED: Spare parts enabling 20 airframes to be returned to service. While whole airframes have yet to be delivered to Ukraine, a senior US defense official confirmed to CNN the Ukrainian Air Force has “added about 20 more operational aircraft to its fleet because of an influx of spare parts.” It was later revealed that entire airframes had been disassembled and transported to Ukraine by road. The exact number and origin of these aircraft is still confidential.
DELIVERED: 4 Sukhoi Su-25 close air support aircraft from North Macedonia. The transfer of these aircraft was first reported in the Macedonian press and later confirmed by Mykhailo Podolyak, one President Zelenskyy’s top aides.
Getting grounded Ukrainian airframes back into service and the transfer of small numbers of additional ex-Soviet aircraft is a stopgap measure until a consistent supply of new, more advanced aircraft can be found for the Ukrainian Air Force . Considering the war is probably going to continue for months - possibly years - and the Ukrainian Air Force will have to be rebuilt after the war anyway, Western countries should begin training Ukrainian pilots to fly NATO aircraft like the F-15 or F/A-18.
Helicopters
DELIVERED: 26 Mil Mi-17 transport helicopters from the United States, Slovakia, and Latvia. 16 aircraft originally procured for the Afghan government by the United States, had been promised as of April 27. A further 4 aircraft were announced in the $700m assistance package announced on the 1st of June. The transfer of 4 Slovakian Mi-17s was announced by Slovakian Defense Minister Jaroslav Naď in mid-June. On 15th of August the Latvian government confirmed the transfer of 2 additional aircraft in disassembled form.
DELIVERED: 3 Mil Mi-2 transport helicopter from Slovakia and Latvia. A light transport helicopter, the Mi-2 is also used for battlefield liaison and training. One aircraft of this type was delivered by Slovakia in mid-June, two more were delivered by Latvia in disassembled form by mid August.
DELIVERED: Around 15 Mil Mi-24 “Hind” helicopter gunships from Czechia. Confirmed by U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin during a press conference May 15th. 10 Mi-24V were in active Czech service, in 2022, with 7 Mi-24D believed to be in storage.
Workhorses in countless air forces across the world, the ex-Soviet types provided to Ukraine will see useful service in the short to medium term. However, just as is the case for fixed-wing aircraft, the Ukrainians will undoubtedly need to be supplied with Western helicopters in order to rebuild their rotary capability after the war and it make sense to start training their pilots to fly Western types sooner, rather than later.
Light Vehicles
Pickups and/or trucks
Many different types have been delivered by national governments, corporations, civil society organizations, and even individual donors. Examples have included armored civilian ambulances and ex-Foreign Office armored Land Cruisers from the British government, 100 Chevrolet Tahoe SUVs and Ranger pickup trucks from General Motors and Ford, and a convoy of second hand Polish four wheel drive vehicles purchased by crowdfunding. It’s impossible to know how many in total have been supplied because of the ad hoc and slightly chaotic manner of such donations.