Just in time for the Ukrainian Independence Day, Chancellor Scholz promises the government in Kyiv further arms deliveries. It’s about anti-aircraft systems and high-tech ammunition made in Germany. But US-made weapons are apparently also included in the new package.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz has announced further arms deliveries to Ukraine. The new package includes state-of-the-art anti-aircraft systems, missile launchers and ammunition. Overall, according to a government spokesman, armaments worth well over 500 million euros are involved. The money still has to be released by the budget committee. The weapons are to be delivered “mainly in 2023”, “some much earlier,” said the spokesman. According to the information, the package also includes further ammunition and bandwidth expansions for anti-drone devices. It is the beginning of a sustainable modernization of the Ukrainian armed forces.
Specifically, Germany wants to supply the following weapons:
20 pickups with mounted 70mm rocket launchers
The delivery of 20 rocket launchers to Ukraine has been on a government list published on the Internet for several days. However, it is not clear which system is involved. According to information from “Business Insiders”, the rocket launchers are of the Fletcher type from the US manufacturer Arnold Defence. The 80 kg system can be mounted on light ground and water vehicles and is used to combat lightly armored targets and infantry units. Berlin wants to supply 2,000 laser-guided rockets as ammunition.
Three IRIS-T anti-aircraft systems
The IRIS-T SLM air defense system is the most modern air defense system in Germany. According to the German manufacturer Diehl Defense, it provides protection against attacks by aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles and short-range ballistic missiles. The IRIS-T air-to-air guided missile, initially developed as armament for combat aircraft such as the Eurofighter, can also be used from the ground with a launch system.
Diehl also produces the ground-to-air variant IRIS-T SL, which has a more powerful drive and, according to the manufacturer, can hit targets up to 40 kilometers away. The rockets are launched vertically and can be fired in all directions.
Twelve armored recovery vehicles 2
The Bergepanzer 2 has been in service with the Bundeswehr since 1966. Conceived as a support vehicle, it should ensure the mobility of armored units. This includes the recovery of damaged vehicles in battle and general assistance with the repair shop. With the “Buffel” armored recovery vehicle, the Bundeswehr already has a successor based on the “Leopard” 2.
255 rounds of Vulcano-type artillery ammunition
For the first time, Germany also wants to deliver Vulcano-type precision ammunition to Ukraine. The 155 millimeter ammunition can be fired, for example, by the Panzerhaubitze 2000, the French CAESAR or the US M-777 howitzer, all of which are also deployed in Ukraine. It should come directly from the manufacturer Diehl Defense and the Italian armaments manufacturer Leonardo.
The Vulcano ammunition is not yet in use in the Bundeswehr. With a range of 70 kilometers, the grenade is characterized by high precision. Thanks to GPS data as well as laser and infrared sensors, the projectiles should be able to hit with an accuracy of one meter according to the manufacturer.