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HIMARS rocket launcher in eastern Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that US missile launchers will change the course of the war against Russia.
These launchers were used to hit dozens of Russian targets, such as command centers and ammunition depots.
They have also been used to destroy bridges, including those near the Russian-occupied city of Kherson that Ukraine is trying to retake.
what is it launchers eAPractice?
The M142 Haymars is a high-mobility, fast-fired rocket artillery system. They are systems mounted on a five-ton truck that can launch six guided missiles in a short period of time.
The missiles provided to Ukraine have a range of 80 kilometers, which is more than twice the range of the howitzers previously supplied by the United States to Ukraine.
These launchers can also launch a single tactical missile with a range of 300 km and the United States has not provided Ukraine with these missiles.
The range of the Russian Smerch missile launcher is also approximately 80 kilometers, but the difference between the two systems is that the American is more accurate because the missiles are equipped with GPS systems, which makes them more accurate than their Russian counterparts.
picture released, BBC and Getty
US Haimars missile launcher
How did Ukraine use HAPractice?
Ukraine began using these launchers at the end of June or early July, according to Phillips O’Brien, professor of strategic studies at the University of St Andrews in Britain.
This weapon, O’Brien says, was used first against stationary targets and command posts, rather than moving forces: “It was used along the front in eastern Ukraine, destroying ammunition depots about 30 miles behind Russian lines.”
He added that Ukraine may have started using these systems recently to target concentrations of Russian forces in barracks and command centers.
Ukraine said that a missile strike against a Russian headquarters in Lysychank in the Luhansk region killed 100 Russian soldiers, and a similar strike targeted the headquarters of the Russian mercenary group Wagner in Popasna in Luhansk, killing 100 members of the group.
According to Professor O’Brien, it is possible that both strikes were used to carry out Haymars.
A comparison table between some Western weapons in Ukraine and their Russian counterparts
Reports indicate that the United States has provided Ukraine with 16 Hymars launchers as part of the $9 billion US military assistance package to the country.
The UK has also provided M270 rocket launchers that are similar to Hymars and fire the same missiles. Three of them have been delivered and three others are on their way there.
In mid-July Ukrainian forces began using Hymars launchers to prevent Russia from reaching Kherson in southern Ukraine, which it currently occupies.
Haymars bombers destroyed bridges over the Dnipro River, which connected the city to Russia-annexed Crimea.
“The Russians sent reinforcements into a city to Kherson in an attempt to defend it,” says Professor O’Brien.
“The Ukrainian attacks with these launchers have created a problem for Russia in resupplying its forces.”
picture released, Getty Images
The missiles provided to Ukraine have a range of 80 km
Will these launchers resolve the war in Ukraine?
President Zelensky insists that launchers are vital to his country’s efforts, writing on Facebook that “Haymars and other precision weapons are turning the tide of war in our favour.”
By mid-August Ukrainian forces had destroyed more than 100 vital Russian targets using Haymars launchers, according to the US military.
“Hymars helps cut Russian supply lines and that makes it a very important weapon,” says Professor O’Brien.
“These weapons have given Ukrainian forces the ability to pursue a new strategy of weakening Russian supply lines so that they cannot withstand, draining Russian firepower, and exhausting their army by attrition.”
However, Dr. Marina Meron, a war expert at King’s College London, believes the impact of these weapons may have been overstated.
“Hymars are very accurate when they are used against stationary targets, when you have accurate coordinates,” she says.
“But it is not very effective against moving targets such as troops, so it cannot stop the advance of Russian forces,” she added.
“I would say that Haymars surprised the Russians, but it did not change the balance of power.”
Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said that Ukraine needs an additional 50 HIMARS launchers to stop the advance of Russian forces, and another 100 launchers for a successful counterattack.
According to Professor O’Brien, providing the missiles needed by these launchers is extremely important.
“Having 16 or so Hymars launchers would be a good thing as long as there are tons of ammunition you need,” he says. “But missile manufacturers are under great pressure to ensure a continuous supply of these munitions.”
picture released, EyePress News/REX/Shutterstock
Ukrainian forces said they destroyed a Russian weapons depot in Nova Kakhovka in eastern Ukraine last July.
How tackle it Russia?
“Russia is now focused on destroying these weapons,” says Dr. Miro.
Its forces have repeatedly claimed to have destroyed a number of these launchers and up to 100 missiles, but they have not provided any evidence for their claims.
“It seems that the Russians are not very good at stopping and destroying the Hymars,” says Professor O’Brien.
“Because they can’t fly planes safely over combat zones so they couldn’t spot them from the air.”
“It is difficult to target the Haymars once it has fired the missiles at the targets, because it can move almost instantly.”
The rocket launchers provided by Western countries to Ukraine play a vital role on the battlefield, but can they win the battle?