The Chinese military column “Listen to the Vision” pointed out that if the U.S.-aided M777 howitzer is effectively used by the Ukrainian army, although it is expected to cost the Russian army a lot in local fronts, without “air dominance, this advanced weapon will not be able to play a role in the entire battle situation.” Decisive influence. Picture: Taken from the Twitter of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense
Ukrainian state news agency quoted the US embassy in Ukraine as saying that of the total of 90 155-caliber “M777 howitzers” provided by the United States to Ukraine, all but one have arrived in Ukraine, and almost all have been deployed on the front line. China’s military column “Listen to Vision” pointed out that the Western countries led by the United States have changed their previous practice of “clearing inventory”, from only providing the Ukrainian army with old guns that are on the verge of obsolescence, to now supplying high-end active-duty main weapons to Ukraine .
However, the article bluntly stated that if the Ukrainian army effectively uses this most advanced howitzer, although it is expected to make the Russian army pay a small price in the local front, from the overall conflict situation, these weapons are not only difficult for Ukraine to reverse the decline, and even extremely It could be wiped out quickly by the Russian army.
The article pointed out that the M777 is the latest artillery of the U.S. Army, and thanks to its light weight, the U.S. military has developed such a set of tactics on the battlefields of Afghanistan and Iraq: when its front-line special forces perform tasks, the rear can be controlled by a A UH-47 transport helicopter hoisted an M777 artillery gun, and carried an artillery group and about 30 shells, ready to wait for the fire support needs of the front-line troops. Once a fire support request is received, the helicopter can immediately drop the guns, battery and ammunition, and the battery quickly deploys the guns and starts shelling the designated area. Before the enemy reacts, the artillery group can quickly close the artillery, and let the helicopter lift the M777 again, and go to the next preset position or return directly.
The article also emphasized: “The Ukrainian army may find it difficult to play the characteristics of the M777.” Today, the United States has handed over the most advanced M777 ultra-light howitzer to the Ukrainian army. If the Ukrainian side can use it effectively, it may indeed pose a certain degree of threat to the Russian army. But from the other side of the coin, this thing has a premise, which is the premise mentioned in the previous sentence, which is “effective use.”
You must know that the greatest use value of the M777 howitzer, that is, the advantages of rapid deployment, rapid retraction and rapid transfer due to its light weight, is actually not available to the Ukrainian army. The reason is very simple. Under the attack of the Russian Aerospace Forces, the Ukrainian Army has few transport helicopters that can lift the M777 and carry artillery personnel and artillery shells. Moreover, the Russian Space Force controls Ukraine’s air supremacy, which makes the Ukrainian Army. The M777 can only be deployed and transferred in the form of the most traditional “truck-drawn artillery”. From this point of view, the M777 is no different from other towed artillery in the hands of the Ukrainian army.
More importantly, subject to the lack of air superiority, the relatively fixed positional arrangement of the towed howitzer determines that it is easy to be attacked by the enemy in the air, and it is difficult to complete a rapid transfer in the face of an air attack. “All in one hit”.
It is mentioned in the article that “without the support of the system, no matter how advanced the equipment is, it will be difficult for it to be effective.” From an overall perspective, the reason why the M777 can “glorify” in the hands of the U.S. military is that it operates under the support of the U.S. military equipment system, that is, the U.S. military controls air supremacy; there are powerful and on-call transport helicopters ; There are skilled artillery crews to operate; the frontline personnel report accurate shooting of Zhuyuan… With the help of a series of favorable conditions, a piece of equipment can exert 100% of its power in the most ideal state. In contrast to the Ukrainian army, it seems that there are no conditions that can effectively support the advanced M777.
In general, under the circumstance that the Russian army has obvious advantages of heavy firepower and air dominance, a limited number of one or two advanced equipment is unlikely to reverse the unfavorable situation of the Ukrainian army, and it is even more difficult to have a decisive impact on the entire battle situation. This time, the US’s “bloated” aid is not intended to be wasted.
If the Ukrainian army effectively uses this most advanced howitzer, although it is expected to make the Russian army pay a small price in the local front,
However, from the perspective of the overall conflict situation, these weapons are not only difficult for Ukraine to reverse the decline, but are even very likely to be quickly wiped out by the Russian army.
A UH-47 transport helicopter lifts an M777 gun with a battery and about 30 rounds. Photo: Reprinted from US Army
The United States provided Ukraine with a total of 90 155-caliber “M777 howitzers”. Photo: Reprinted from US Army