The war in Ukraine has exposed the flaws and weaknesses of some of America’s most sophisticated weapons.

The $61 billion in US aid, approved in April, is a breath of fresh air for Ukrainian forces defending their territory from the Russians. But Ukraine is not the only beneficiary of the deal. Analysts say the US is gaining invaluable information about problems in some of its most important military systems. Business Insider.

Since the start of the war in Ukraine in 2022, the United States has been Ukraine’s most important ally, providing a total of $107 billion in aid.
From anti-aircraft systems to drones and artillery, the US is gaining valuable information about the vulnerability of its weapons deployed on the battlefields of eastern and southern Ukraine.

One area where America’s weaknesses are glaring is electronic warfare. Russia’s jamming systems have created major problems for Western precision weapons, including GMLRS missiles and Excalibur artillery shells.

Russia’s electronic warfare units are increasingly adept at deflecting the GPS navigation systems that guide missiles and bombs from their course and rendering them ineffective.

“The battle revealed that some guided missiles fail in the electromagnetic environment,” said Stacey Pettijohn, a military researcher at the Center for New American Defense.

In contrast, cheap drones play a very important role in Ukraine. Ukraine’s military has used drones to compensate for manpower and ammunition shortages it has faced in its war against Russia. He used them to scout enemy positions, guide artillery strikes, and fit grenades or explosives to attack enemy positions.

But the war in Ukraine has exposed problems not only with the quality of weapons, but also with America’s ability to produce them in the quantities Ukraine needs.

For decades, the United States has been preparing for war against militant groups like the Taliban in Afghanistan. But the war in Ukraine is like World War I, with two armies in well-defended positions firing tens of thousands of artillery shells a day at their enemy.

Instead, Russia put its economy on a wartime basis and increased the amount of military equipment it could produce.

““The biggest problem that the war in Ukraine has revealed is that the Pentagon is not buying enough ammunition for a sustained, large-scale conflict,” Pettijohn says.

On the other hand, the war in Ukraine has shown that many US weapons systems are far superior to those of its adversaries.

Patriotic organizations have defended Ukrainian cities from Moscow’s massive drone and missile attacks. With a few interceptions, HIMARS long-range missiles continue to wreak havoc behind Russia’s front lines. The Switchblade 600 explosive drone is also an important weapon for Ukraine in targeting Russian artillery batteries and troops.

Publisher: MB