MLRS headed to Ukraine? As the war in Ukraine continues to drag on and the Russian military is starting to make gains in eastern Ukraine and the Donbas, the Ukrainian military is requesting more weapon systems.
One of the latest weapon systems that the U.S. military is considering sending its Ukrainian counterpart is Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS).
Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS) to Ukraine?
MLRS is capable of firing multiple rockets every second and in much larger ranges than what the current Ukrainian rocket systems can.
The Pentagon is talking with the Ukrainians to determine their needs and capability gaps.
“We’re working every single day to get weapons and systems into Ukraine, and every single day, there are weapons and systems getting into Ukraine that are helping them literally in the fight, including howitzers, which are still arriving. And we’re in constant communication with them about their needs going forward,” Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby said during a press briefing on Friday
“We knew, when Russia decided to focus on the eastern part of the country and that Donbas region that it was going to be an artillery, a long-range-fires kind of fight. It has proven to be that. Certainly, we’re mindful and aware of the Ukrainian asks, privately and publicly, for what is known as a multiple-launch rocket system,” the U.S. defense official added.
The White House and Department of Defense are still deliberating on whether to send any MLRS to Ukraine. Doing so would put Russian territory within the range of the Ukrainian military, which could potentially backfire.
“And I won’t get ahead of decisions that haven’t been made yet, but we are in constant communication with them. And our goal from the very beginning has been to try to help them in the fight that they’re in today, and that’s why these packages get kind of parceled out over time, because you want to be able to be adaptive to what they’re facing,” the Pentagon press secretary stated.
“So again, I won’t get ahead of decisions. I’ve never done that since we’ve been starting to do these drawdown authority packages, but I can assure you that we are in constant communication with them, and we’re still committed to helping them succeed on the battlefield, and to succeed specifically in the fight they’re in. I think I’ll just leave it there,” Kirby said.
MLRS – The Benefits
Should the U.S. provide the Ukrainian military with Multiple Launch Rocket Systems, the Ukrainian forces will enjoy a significantly improved long-range fires capability.
The war in eastern Ukraine and the Donbas right now is all about long-range fires. The Russian military is starting to gain ground largely because it can employ devasting artillery fire on the Ukrainian forces, pressuring them to retreat and give up ground.
Sending Ukraine Multiple Launch Rocket Systems could balance the situation on the ground.
1945’s New Defense and National Security Columnist, Stavros Atlamazoglou is a seasoned defense journalist specializing in special operations, a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ), and a Johns Hopkins University graduate. His work has been featured in Business Insider, Sandboxx, and SOFREP.
