According to analysts of The Financial Times, Western defense companies need about 2 years to provide Ukraine with the necessary amount of ammunition.
When the Western partners will be able to provide Ukraine with a sufficient amount of ammunition
According to the publication, Western partners are currently forced to simultaneously increase the supply of ammunition to Ukraine with the simultaneous expansion of their production capacities.
Arms manufacturers face a fundamental dilemma: In peacetime, when they need a steady stream of contracts, politicians have no incentive to spend on weapons. However, during periods of instability, defense spending increases, resulting in a full order book but long delays as companies lack skilled workers to fill the supply chain, the publication explained.
It is noted that delays in ammo supply have the most significant impact on Ukrainian units on the front line.
One senior executive told the publication that it would take two years for Western defence companies to produce enough ammunition to supply Ukrainian soldiers as well as Russian war criminals.
What is known about Ukraine's potential for using long-range weapons
According to the analysts of the "Defence Express" edition, Ukraine not only maintains but also increases the potential of launching strikes with long-range weapons on strategic objects on the territory of the Russian Federation.
The authors of the material emphasise that the destruction of the strategic objects of the aggressor country on its territory is achieved by the means that Ukraine received from its Western partners during 2023.
Analysts also indicate that the Ukrainian military is also using some samples of long-range weapons received from partners earlier this year.
In addition, as indicated in the publication, Ukraine has also made significant progress in developing its long-range weapons, primarily drones.
As for the support of existing capabilities, we will primarily be talking about SCALP/Storm Shadow cruise missiles. In January, France announced its decision to provide Ukraine with 40 more SCALP cruise missiles. Britain announced additional supplies of Storm Shadow missiles in 2024. Considering the high efficiency of these Franco-British complexes, it is obvious that the attacks on the headquarters and key rear facilities of the Russians in the occupied territories (in particular, in the Crimea) will continue. But this year, Ukrainian troops will have the opportunity to use several new models of long-range systems. In particular, the long-awaited GLSDB, the transmission of which some mass media announced as early as autumn. In November, it was reported about the transfer of one M142 HIMARS anti-tank missile to the USA, which, according to analysts, is prepared specifically to work with the GLSDB. SDB glide bombs, launched from the ground, will allow hitting targets at a distance of up to 150 km, the material explains.
The authors of the material emphasise that France promised to provide Ukraine with 50 AASM Hammer glide bombs every month.
Interestingly, analysts believe that Ukraine can get a version of such bombs with a flight range of 150-200 km.
Back in 2023, the manufacturing company Safran Electronics Defense announced that it was working on increasing the range of the bombs by 2-3 times due to the development of a new rocket accelerator. It is quite likely that the new systems will be tested in Ukraine, the authors of the material add.
Experts stress that strikes on Russian territory are carried out exclusively by Ukrainian weapons.
The beginning of 2024 indicates that there is a certain increase in capabilities and efficiency in this as well. We are talking about recent strikes on key facilities of energy export infrastructure in Ust-Luga and Tuapse. For these strikes, UAVs probably covered a distance of about 1,000 kilometers. Ukraine's new long-range capabilities allow with surgical precision not only to inflict economic losses on the Russians, but also to influence the mood of the business elites of the Russian Federation on the eve of the elections. Russian oligarchs will lose their profits due to the war unleashed by Putin and the inability of the security forces to provide reliable cover for their territory, analysts emphasise.
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