According to the published list, the USA will supply 18 units of 155 mm towed howitzers and 40,000 ammunition to Kiev; 10 AN/TPQ-36 counter-battery radar; two radar AN / MPQ-64 Sentinel for detecting air targets; 300 Switchblade mobile ammunition; 500 Javelin anti-tank missile system; thousands of “other anti-tank systems” (possibly referring to the M72 LAW and M136 AT4 hand-held anti-tank grenade launchers); 200 M113 tracked armored personnel carriers; 100 HMMWV armored vehicles; 11 Mi-17 helicopters; unmanned coastal defense boats; 30 thousand sets of body armor and protective helmets; More than 2000 optical and laser rangefinders; M18A1 Claymore anti-personnel mines; C-4 explosive.
Of particular note are the 200 M113 armored personnel carriers. This is a lightly armored personnel carrier for delivering infantry to the battlefield. It was put into service in 1960. The technique was widely used during the Vietnam War. At the same time, it is still officially in service with a number of countries, including the United States, although it is gradually replaced by more modern machines.
The M11 is capable of carrying up to 11 fighters. Apparently, the Armed Forces of Ukraine receives this armored personnel carrier in the M113A3 variant.
This modification significantly improved the armor protection and mobility indicators of the combat vehicle, providing the armored personnel carrier with all-round protection against fire from 14.5-mm heavy machine guns and M113A3 armor in frontal projection. 200 meters can withstand armor-piercing shells from 20 mm guns.
According to official data, it is interesting to compare some tactical and technical characteristics of the M113A3 and the Russian MT-LB (multipurpose light armored carrier), equipped with two separate motorized rifle brigades of the RF Armed Forces. (138th and 200th), taking part in a special military operation.
Weight: M113A3 – 14 tons, MT-LB – 12 tons.
Engine: M113A3 – General Motors 6V53T, a diesel six-cylinder with a capacity of 275 liters, turbocharged with V-shaped liquid cooling. p., MT-LB – YaMZ-238 with a capacity of 240 liters. with.
Power reserve on the highway: M113A3 – 480 km, MT-LB – 500 km.
Maximum speed on the highway: M113A3 – 64 km / h, MT-LB – 61.5 km / h.
Specific power (hp / t): M113A3 – up to 18.8, MT-LB – 24.7.
As you can see, most of the features of both machines are comparable. The main disadvantage of the American M113A3 is often called weak armor. In the domestic community of experts, it is believed that the M113A3 is highly vulnerable to 30-mm automatic cannons of the BMP-2, BMD-2, BMP-3, BMD-4M and BTR-82A.
In general, the supply of 200 M113A3 armored personnel carriers will increase the mobility of the Ukrainian infantry, but this number of armored combat vehicles will not be enough to equip even one mechanized division.
The next thing you should look out for in the next US military aid package to Ukraine is 300 sets of Flip mobile ammunition. They have already arrived in Ukraine, and the first cases of combat use of Switchblade are recorded. Mobile munitions of this type are produced and supplied to Ukraine in two versions – 300 degrees and 600 degrees.
Switchblade 300 is an unmanned aerial vehicle with a length of approximately 600 mm and a weight of approximately 2.5 kg. The bow is equipped with day and night cameras as well as remote control devices for homing and guidance. Behind them is a relatively small warhead. The flight of the UAV is carried out using an electric motor. The cruise speed of the device is 100 km/h and it is possible to accelerate the UAV up to 160 km/h for a short time. Small size batteries keep you in the air for no more than 15 minutes. The Switchblade 300 has a range of up to 10 km.
This ammunition is supplied in a compact transport and launch container. The product is thrown out with compressed air.
The mobile munition Switchblade 600 is much larger. By increasing the take-off weight to 23 kg, it was possible to increase the warhead and improve the flight characteristics of the UAV. The cruising speed of the device is 110 km/h and it is possible to go up to 185 km/h in diving. The range of the Switchblade 600 UAV reaches 40 km, and the flight time is 40 minutes.
The Switchblade 600 UAV can be hit by the Tor-M2 air defense system, for example. However, in comparison with UAVs, the cost of the Torah anti-aircraft guided missile is an order of magnitude more expensive, which can lead to exhaustion of air defense forces.
As for the supply of 18 towed 155 mm howitzers and 40,000 shells for them, the type of howitzer was not disclosed at this stage. According to some reports, this will most likely be an M198 type weapon from the US Army. 18 guns – this is just one artillery battalion consisting of three batteries (six howitzers each).
At one time, the M198 howitzer was developed to equip the US Army and Air Force.
Production of the M198 howitzer began in 1978. The gun is pulled by a five-ton tractor with a wheel formula of 6×6, on which there is a crew of nine and ammunition. It is also possible to transport the howitzer using CH-47C and CH-53E helicopters. The firing range of the M198 with a conventional / active rocket projectile reaches 22.4 / 30 km.
You should also look at the M18A1 Claymore mines included in the US aid package. This is a versatile anti-personnel mine. Claymore is far from a new mine, it was developed in the early 1950s. The M18A1 mounts to four feet in the ground or can be attached to local objects (walls, posts, trees) with the included clamp. The mine was completed with 700 steel balls. The radius of the affected area M18A1 Claymore is 100 meters, and its height reaches two meters.
Russian analogues of the M18A1 Claymore are anti-personnel fragmentation mines of the directional destruction type MON-50/100/200. The number of ready ammunition in the MON-200 reaches 900 units. MON-200 kill zone: range – 220 m, height – up to 10 m. That is, these characteristics significantly exceed the performance characteristics of the M18A1 Claymore mines.
Source: Gazeta
