Ukraine war as a testing ground: Successful debut of European armaments

The primary supplier of arms to Ukraine is the United States, however, the most recent equipment has been provided by European countries. Let's take a look at the unique weapons being tested on the front line.

The United States remains the undisputed leader in supplying war equipment to Ukraine, providing weapons valued at around 44.2 billion dollars so far. This includes more than 2 million artillery projectiles, hundreds of varied vehicles, and thousands of anti-tank and anti-aircraft resources.

Collectively, all EU member states have supplied weapons estimated at about 45 billion euros, based on data compiled by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy. It's worth noting, excluding Soviet equipment chiefly supplied by former Eastern Bloc countries, that the quantity of equipment provided isn't particularly remarkable. For instance, EU states have supplied just over 224,000 artillery rounds.

While the volume of weapons supplied by Europe might not be impressive, their quality and modernity are exceptional. Initially, the Americans primarily sent equipment with its latest versions, dating back to the 90s. This included hundreds of MRAP-type vehicles that had been previously deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Conversely, European countries started to share modern equipment at the onset of the war. All support is valuable regardless, as every additional weapon is priceless to the defending Ukrainians.

Ukraine has turned into a testing ground where European companies, sanctioned by their governments, trial their latest inventions. It's no surprise that these companies also promote the equipment they've transferred by demonstrating its effectiveness on the battlefield.

While the Americans supplied, among others, older FGM-148 Javelin A/B/C/D ATGMs (anti-tank guided missile) from the early Block 0 series and FGM-148E from the Block 1 series, the British delivered up-to-date NLAW systems, and the French recently added the Akeron MP to their service. The modern German anti-tank grenade launchers, RGW90, also deserve special mention.

The NLAW, put into service towards the end of 2008, is a lightweight "fire and forget" anti-tank guided missile launcher weighing 12.5 kg (around 27.6 lbs). The launcher attacks targets from above, and its warhead is capable of penetrating over 500 mm of armored steel. Its range lies between 20-800 meters (approximately 22-874 yards), reaching a maximum of about 1 kilometer (around 0.62 miles). The target is tracked along the predicted line, but if the target is moving, the shooter must maintain the crosshair on the attacked object for 2-3 seconds, allowing the computer to calculate the appropriate flight path.

The French system, on the other hand, has a slightly longer range than even the latest versions of the American Javelin (5 km or about 3.1 miles vs. 4.75 km or around 2.95 miles). This weapon can penetrate more than 1 meter (roughly 3.3 feet) of armored steel. The missile attacks targets by diving, increasing its destructive capabilities.

Anti-aircraft systems play a critical role in Ukraine. The Americans have provided effective but outdated systems like the FIM-92 Stinger, MIM-23 Hawk, and older versions of the Patriot system, albeit equipped with new PAC-3 CRI missiles. Among the more current systems of this type, the USA has mainly dispatched the NASAMS sets.

The Americans have also delivered an array of older AIM-7 Sparrow guided missiles used in modified Soviet anti-aircraft systems. In contrast, the latest anti-aircraft solutions are coming from Europe. European countries sent, among others, one battery of the SAMP/T system, several IRIS-T sets, and portable anti-aircraft sets like the Polish Piorun, Swedish RBS-70 NG, British Starstreak, and the still-under-testing Martlet (Lightweight Multirole Missile).

The SAMP/T, in service since 2011, is one of the few medium-range systems in the world capable of combating Russian ballistic missiles such as Iskander and Ch-47M2 Kinzhal. The SAMP/T has a significant advantage over the older Patriots by reducing the crew from 90 to 14 soldiers and engaging targets from different directions. The basic "Arabel" radar with a range over 100 km (approximately 62 miles) provides 360-degree target detection, while the Patriot's detection field is only 120 degrees.

The IRIS-T SLM and SLS system is a short-range solution designed to defend against maneuvering missiles, which completed testing only in 2014. The scheme employs IRIS-T missiles with great maneuverability that can even combat medium-range missiles flying at supersonic speeds. Ukraine received the systems in the SLS version with a range of about 10 km (approx. 6.2 miles) and the SLM variant with the range extended to 40 km (about 24.9 miles). Ukrainians claim these systems to be 100% effective.

Remarkably, European handheld sets have proven to be resilient even against the Russian L-370 Vitebsk laser system utilized for blinding incoming missiles on Russian Ka-52 Alligator helicopters.

Europe also dispatches powerful self-propelled artillery systems. Sets like the Crab, German PzH 2000, French Caesar, Slovak Zuzana 2, and Swedish Archer offer the longest range of fire among all other supplied artillery systems. All these vehicles are equipped with a 155 mm caliber gun. This translates into a range of about 30 km (roughly 18.6 miles) with the cheapest ammunition, or up to around 60 km (about 37.3 miles) when using rocket boosters or guided M982 Excalibur projectiles.

Furthermore, using experimental sub-caliber Vulcano GLR projectiles from the Italian Leonardo corporation, the range here increases to 70-80 km (approximately 43.5-49.7 miles). Ukraine, however, has received few of these - an official batch of 225 pieces. Further deliveries haven't provided numbers, making it possible that Ukraine presently has a considerable stock of these weapons.

Ukraine also received Bonus and SMArt 155 missiles that transform artillery into precisely tuned tank destroyers. These contain two smaller projectiles equipped with sensors, allowing them to independently search and lock onto tanks or enemy self-propelled howitzers after being released over a given area.

Ukraine will also become the first global user of an artillery complex resistant to counter-battery fire. This refers to a system known as RCH 155, which enables firing shots while moving instead of only after the vehicle stops.

The mentioned systems highlight the most fascinating examples of weapons delivered to Ukrainians by European countries. However, European nations still lack the production capabilities, which have been underdeveloped and even reduced over time due to small orders. It's possible that lessons learned from Ukraine will rectify this issue in a few years.