Western weapons have been a deciding factor against Russia in Ukraine

The American ATACMS long-range missiles supplied to Ukraine have proven to be one of the most transformative weapons Washington has provided Kyiv but it's not the only piece of Western technology that has made a difference in the fight against Russia.

On October 17th, successful M39 ATACMS strikes on airbases in Luhansk and Berdyansk destroyed at least 9 Russian helicopters and may have knocked out as many as 21 according to a report from Geoconfirmed cited in Forbes by reporter David Axe.

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By Unknown author - https://sill-www.army.mil

“This is probably the biggest blow to the Russian air force since the beginning of the war,” GeoConfirmed commented according to Axe's reporting. But Kyiv's newest American weapon isn't the only one that's helped it gain an edge over Urkiane's Russian opponents.

Much of Ukraine's current strategic position is due not only to the bravery of its soldiers fighting on the frontlines but also to the advanced Western technology that has been supplied to Kyiv by its European, East Asian, and North American allies.

Few people thought the Ukrainians would be able to withstand Russia’s Armed Forces when they were ordered to invade their western neighbor in February 2022. Most even predicted the country would fall in days. But Kyiv held on and that’s when things changed. 

As soon as the world realized that Ukraine wasn’t going down without a fight, weapons and munitions from the West began pouring into the country, making a big difference in the conflict as the country’s military adapted to the fight and executed their own attacks. 

The Ukrainian Armed Forces not only beat Putin’s invasion forces back but also started pushing Russia out of the territories it occupied. A lot of Ukraine’s defense, as well as its offense, came down to the country’s will to fight and the Western weapons they used. 

The most prominent weapon from the early battles was undoubtedly the American-made FGM-148 Javelin. This portable anti-tank missile was used in hit-and-run ambushes as well as in major counterattacks that took a heavy toll on Moscow’s initial invasion force. 

“This was particularly important in the early days of the war as the Russians tended to stay in columns when trying to enter urban areas. A Javelin operator could fire from a building or behind a tree and be gone before the Russians could fire back,” CNN wrote. 

Michael Armstrong from Brock University told CNN around the one-year anniversary of the war that Javelins were important because they were a low-cost weapon that was politically easier for countries to send to Ukraine, unlike a more expensive warplane. 

However, it wasn’t just American Javelins sent to Ukraine that made a difference. The Economist noted in an August 2022 report Britain sent its Next-Generation Light Anti-Tank Weapon (NLAW) to Ukraine while Sweden gave the country its AT4—all of which helped stop Russia's advance. 

The other weapon that changed the early war was the Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2, an unmanned aerial vehicle that proved crucial for destroying Russian artillery and armored vehicles. It was so good that the drone's designer told Reuters the whole world had become a customer.

"Bayraktar TB2 is doing what it was supposed to do,” designer Selcuk Bayraktar told the news outlet during a May 2022 military exhibit in Baku, Azerbaijan, “taking out some of the most advanced anti-aircraft systems and advanced artillery systems and armored vehicles."

Next came the American M142 High Mobility Rocket System, or Himars for short, and it really changed the battlefield. The Himars system had a range of 50 miles with the ammunition supplied and that allowed the Ukrainians to hit important fixed targets in Russia’s rear according to BBC News. 

"It was used up and down the front in eastern Ukraine, striking at ammunition depots some 30 miles behind the Russian lines,” St. Andrews University's Phillips O'Brien told BBC, adding that it also hit command posts, barracks, and other troop concentrations. 

The artillery systems allowed Ukraine to shape the battlefield and were one of the many reasons why the counter-offensive around Kharkiv and Kherson was so successful in the summer of 2022. But there were also several fixed systems that played a big role. 

Self-propelled artillery systems that match the NATO 155mm shell standard like France's Caesar, Germany’s PzH2000, Poland's AHS Krab, Slovak Zuzana 24, the Swedish Archer, and American M109 all played a part in changing the battlefield according to Reuters. 

Reuters also noted that wheeled artillery also proved to be important, with guns like the U.S. M777 allowing guided shells to be fired at Russian positions up 25 miles away. 

The latter half of the war has proven to be one where air defense systems have reigned in Ukraine.  Weapons like the German Gepard and the U.S. Patriot Missile Air Defense System have protected Ukraine’s energy grid and cities from Russian bombardment. 

Reuters reported the Norwegian National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System and the German IRIS-T “provide a means of defending against missiles as they get closer to their targets,” an important capability that has defended Ukraine’s skies from Russia. 

Ammunition is just as important as the weapons firing them and it is important to point out that M982 Excalibur artillery shells have been praised for their accuracy as well as their precision, especially during the Kherson offensive according to Business Insider. 

“If it hadn’t been for artillery ammunition, they would have been in a lot of trouble,” Rob Lee, a Senior Fellow at Foreign Research Policy told Reuters. “Precision-guided munitions mean you have to fire fewer rounds. The ability to destroy targets on a first strike is a really important advantage.”

The American AGM-88 High-Speed Anti-Radiation Missile has been used to knock out Soviet-era air-defense radar systems on the ground according to Reuters, and on the high seas, Denmark’s donated Harpoon anti-ship missiles have saved Ukraine’s shores. 

Western armored vehicles like the American Bradley Fighting Vehicle and Stryker, as well as tanks like the British Challenger II and the German-made Leopards, were meant to make a difference for Ukriane offensively. But heavy minefield defenses have prohibited a major breakthrough. 

Most of the vehicles that Ukraine was outfitted with for its counter-offensive were better than their Russian counterparts, and they have made a difference on the battlefield. However, Kyiv is still struggling to keep up with the amount of men and equipment Russia can bring to bear. 

Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief General Valery Zahluzny has claimed the war has become a statement in a recent interview with The Economist, noting a new and yet undeveloped technology is needed to break the equilibrium in the frontlines. Maybe such a weapon will come from one of Ukraine's Western allies?