Behind Ukraine’s Weapons: Storm Shadow, ATACMS, StarStreak Missiles and More | WSJ Equipped

Summary

乌克兰自2022年初俄罗斯入侵以来，一直在使用包括陆军战术导弹系统、炸弹和星光导弹在内的多种武器。视频中详细分析了乌克兰的军械库，从技术到潜在影响。特别关注了价值百万美元的“风暴阴影”巡航导弹，它为乌克兰提供了反攻所需的打击范围。这些高精度武器射程超过155英里，迫使莫斯科重新考虑其后勤问题。视频还介绍了“风暴阴影”如何利用地形轮廓匹配和GPS更新提高精度，以及其如何通过延迟引爆增加对加固目标的破坏力。尽管“风暴阴影”的成本超过100万美元，但英国向乌克兰提供的导弹数量有限。此外，视频还讨论了美国考虑向乌克兰提供的陆军战术导弹系统（ATACMS），其射程约190英里，以及英国提供的“星光”便携式防空导弹系统，它以三倍音速飞行，能够击落无人机、战斗机和直升机。视频还提到了BM-21“冰雹”火箭炮，这是一种自1969年以来在几乎所有武装冲突中使用的苏联时代武器，尽管技术上已过时，但仍在乌克兰战争中广泛使用。最后，视频讨论了美国计划向乌克兰提供的集束弹药，尽管存在人道主义担忧，但这些武器被认为是对抗俄罗斯装甲部队的有效手段。

Takeaways

• 💰 乌克兰使用的“风暴阴影”导弹价格昂贵，每枚成本超过100万美元，是一种高精度武器，可以进行远程打击。
• 🎯 “风暴阴影”导弹的射程超过155英里，是乌克兰进行反击的关键武器，迫使莫斯科重新考虑其后勤策略。
• 🚀 该导弹配备了先进的导航系统，包括惯性导航、GPS更新和地形轮廓匹配，能够在低空飞行以躲避雷达探测。
• 💥 “风暴阴影”导弹采用延迟引爆机制，对加固目标具有更高的杀伤力。
• 🛢️ 尽管“风暴阴影”导弹性能卓越，但其高昂的成本和有限的数量是乌克兰使用时的主要限制。
• ✈️ 乌克兰空军的飞机数量有限，只有一小部分能够发射“风暴阴影”导弹，这影响了其使用效率。
• 🇺🇲 美国考虑向乌克兰提供陆军战术导弹系统（ATACMS），这是一种地面发射的远程导弹，可以增加乌克兰的反击能力。
• 🚀 ATACMS导弹的最大射程约为190英里，速度可达音速的三倍，提供了操作灵活性和快速打击能力。
• 🌟 “星光”导弹是一种超音速短程防空导弹，可以快速重新生产，用于击落无人机、战斗机和直升机。
• 🚧 BM-21“冰雹”火箭炮是一种苏联时代的武器，尽管技术上已过时，但因其简单有效仍在乌克兰和俄罗斯广泛使用。
• 🚨 美国计划向乌克兰提供集束弹药，尽管存在人道主义担忧，但这些武器被认为是对抗俄罗斯装甲部队的有效手段。

Q & A

乌克兰自2022年俄罗斯入侵以来使用了哪些武器？

乌克兰使用了包括陆军战术导弹系统、炸弹和星光导弹在内的多种武器。

风暴阴影导弹（Storm Shadow）对乌克兰有什么重要意义？

风暴阴影导弹为乌克兰提供了所需的打击范围，使其能够进行反击。这种高精度武器的射程超过155英里，迫使莫斯科重新考虑其后勤策略。

风暴阴影导弹的精确度如何实现？

风暴阴影导弹配备有三种不同的导航系统：惯性导航系统、GPS和地形轮廓匹配。这些系统使导弹能够精确地击中特定目标，如特定空军基地的特定机库。

风暴阴影导弹的成本是多少？

风暴阴影导弹的估计成本超过100万美元每枚，是乌克兰目前拥有的最昂贵的打击弹药之一。

乌克兰如何使用风暴阴影导弹进行战略打击？

乌克兰将风暴阴影导弹用于精确打击，如针对高价值目标和时间敏感目标，而不是用于大规模轰炸。

乌克兰空军在战争开始时拥有多少架战斗机？

乌克兰空军在战争开始时大约拥有100多架战斗机，其中只有一小部分是能够发射风暴阴影导弹的苏-24。

美国为何最初犹豫向乌克兰提供陆军战术导弹系统（ATACMS）？

美国最初担心提供ATACMS可能会升级与俄罗斯的冲突，并且担心这些导弹的长射程可能会被用来攻击俄罗斯境内的目标。

星光导弹（Starstreak）的速度有多快？

星光导弹的速度快于三倍音速，大约是2300英里每小时，比类似的美国导弹如毒刺（Stinger）导弹快100英里每小时。

星光导弹如何避免热寻的导弹的常见问题？

星光导弹不是热寻的，而是由激光制导。射手发射导弹后，会向目标投射激光束，导弹跟随这个激光束，这种制导系统更为精确，不容易被干扰或欺骗。

为什么BM-21火箭炮（也称为冰雹火箭炮）在现代战争中仍然被广泛使用？

BM-21火箭炮能够在短时间内发射大量无制导火箭，覆盖大面积区域，尽管技术上已经过时，但其简单性和有效性使其在战场上仍然有用。

美国计划向乌克兰提供的集束弹药（Cluster Munitions）有哪些争议？

集束弹药因可能造成平民伤亡和战后未爆炸弹药的危险而受到争议，许多国家禁止使用。尽管如此，美国计划向乌克兰提供这类武器，以增强其对俄军的攻势。

Outlines

00:00

💥 乌克兰军械库分析：风暴阴影导弹

第一段主要介绍了乌克兰自2022年俄罗斯入侵以来使用的武器，特别关注了价值百万美元的风暴阴影巡航导弹。这种高精度武器为乌克兰提供了反攻所需的打击范围，迫使莫斯科重新考虑其后勤安排。风暴阴影导弹能够远距离飞行并自主导航，避开雷达探测，并且具有延迟引爆功能，对加固目标有更强的破坏力。尽管如此，由于成本高昂，乌克兰拥有的数量有限，需要谨慎使用。

05:02

🔍 风暴阴影导弹的限制与战略使用

第二段讨论了风暴阴影导弹的技术特点，包括其与制造iPhone的相似之处，以及成本导致的使用限制。英国提供的风暴阴影数量不明，但普遍认为乌克兰拥有的数量不多。分析指出，乌克兰应战略性地使用这些导弹，因为它们不是用于大规模轰炸，而是针对高价值目标的精确打击。此外，还提到了乌克兰空军的飞机供应问题，以及西方国家对乌克兰的远程导弹供应情况。

10:04

🚀 美国的远程导弹选项及其犹豫

第三段探讨了美国的陆军战术导弹系统（ATACMS）和其对乌克兰反攻的潜在影响，以及美国最初为何犹豫不决。ATACMS是一种地面发射的弹道导弹，具有更远的射程和更快的速度，能够提供更多的战术灵活性。尽管存在对冲突升级的担忧，但美国和国会在乌克兰和国际社会的压力下，最终决定向乌克兰提供ATACMS导弹。

15:05

⚔️ 星光闪烁导弹：乌克兰的短程防空选择

第四段介绍了星光闪烁导弹，这是一种超音速短程防空导弹，可以击落无人机、战斗机或攻击机和直升机。星光闪烁导弹的特点包括其激光制导系统，这使得它比热寻的导弹更精确，并且不易受到干扰。然而，星光闪烁导弹需要更多的训练来操作，并且对操作员的要求更高。由于供应问题，重新启动星光闪烁导弹的生产可能需要一年多的时间。

20:05

🚜 BM-21火箭发射器：战争的老兵

第五段讨论了BM-21火箭发射器（又称“冰雹”）的使用情况，这是一种自1969年以来在几乎每场武装冲突中都使用过的苏联时代武器。尽管技术上已经过时，但BM-21因其能够快速发射大量无制导火箭而仍然广泛使用。然而，由于缺乏精确度，它需要大量的火箭才能有效，这对乌克兰来说是一个挑战，因为其原有的库存可能已经耗尽。

25:07

💣 集束弹药：乌克兰的争议性选择

第六段涉及了集束弹药，这是美国计划向乌克兰提供的有争议的武器。尽管集束弹药在多个国家被禁止，但它们是拜登政府8亿美元援助计划的一部分，旨在加强乌克兰对俄军的进攻。集束弹药能够在广泛区域内散布小型炸弹，对装甲和人员都有杀伤能力。尽管存在人道主义担忧，但美国决定提供这些武器，因为它们对防止乌克兰在关键冲突阶段耗尽弹药至关重要。

30:09

📦 美国向乌克兰提供的集束弹药

第七段说明了美国向乌克兰提供的集束弹药（DPICM）的情况，强调了这些弹药的低故障率以及它们在战场上的潜在效用。美国官员为提供这些武器的决定进行了辩护，认为它们对于对抗俄军的装甲编队和战壕线是必要的。

Keywords

💡Storm Shadow

Storm Shadow是一种高精度巡航导弹，具有超过155英里的射程，能够远距离打击关键目标，如俄罗斯的指挥控制中心。它装备有迷你喷气发动机、轻质材料和自主导航系统，能够在发射后不需要操作员的更新或通信，实现“发射后不管”的能力。在视频中，Storm Shadow被强调为乌克兰对抗俄罗斯侵略的有力武器，尽管其单价超过100万美元，使用时需要策略性考虑。

💡GPS

GPS指的是全球定位系统，它是一种卫星导航系统，能够为地球上几乎任何位置提供准确的地理位置和时间信息。在视频中，Storm Shadow导弹利用GPS进行周期性更新以提高打击精度，尽管直接依赖GPS可能会使导弹容易受到电子战对抗措施的影响。

💡Terrain Contour Matching

地形轮廓匹配是一种导航技术，通过测量地形的海拔变化并与机载数据库比较来确定导弹的位置。在视频中，Storm Shadow导弹使用地形轮廓匹配技术来辅助导航，帮助导弹在低空飞行时躲避雷达探测，提高隐蔽性。

💡Delayed Detonation

延迟引爆是一种军事技术，导弹在撞击目标时，首先引爆一个小的前置装药，以穿透墙壁或加固结构，然后主弹头在目标内部引爆，造成更大的破坏。视频中提到，Storm Shadow导弹利用延迟引爆技术，对硬化目标具有更高的杀伤力。

💡Cluster Munitions

集束弹药是一种在爆炸时释放多个小炸弹（子炸弹）的武器，它们可以覆盖大片区域并对人员和装甲目标造成伤害。尽管集束弹药在国际上存在争议，因为未爆炸的子炸弹可能对平民构成长期威胁，但美国计划向乌克兰提供这种武器以增强其对抗俄罗斯的能力。

💡BM-21

BM-21，也被称为“冰雹”，是一种苏联时代的多管火箭发射系统，能够在短时间内发射大量无制导火箭。尽管技术上已经过时，但由于其简单性和可用性，乌克兰和俄罗斯在当前冲突中仍在使用它。视频中提到，尽管存在精确度问题，BM-21因其覆盖范围广而依然有效。

💡Star Streak

Star Streak是一种高速短程防空导弹，能够以超过三倍音速的速度飞行，并且使用激光制导系统，这使得它比传统的热寻导弹更精确且不易被干扰。视频中提到，尽管Star Streak操作起来需要更多的训练，但它对于乌克兰的防空能力至关重要，尤其是在对抗无人机等低热信号目标时。

💡ATACMS

ATACMS代表陆军战术导弹系统，是一种地对地的弹道导弹，具有约190英里的射程。视频中提到，ATACMS的移动性意味着它可以从地面发射，为乌克兰军队提供了更多的灵活性，并且可以快速移动以避免报复性攻击。

💡Countermeasures

对抗措施是指用来对抗敌方攻击的技术和策略，包括电子战、红外诱饵等。在视频中，提到Storm Shadow导弹装备有对抗措施，如红外诱饵，以提高其在敌方防空系统中的生存能力。

💡Humanitarian Concerns

人道主义关切涉及到在冲突中保护平民和民用设施的问题。在视频中，尽管集束弹药的使用引起了国际社会的人道主义关切，但美国仍然决定向乌克兰提供这种武器，因为它们对于乌克兰的防御至关重要。

💡Logistics

后勤指的是在军事行动中对物资、装备和人员的运输、维护和补给的组织和管理。视频中提到，Storm Shadow导弹的长射程迫使莫斯科重新考虑其后勤补给线，因为乌克兰能够打击更远的目标，从而影响俄罗斯的补给能力。

Highlights

乌克兰自2022年初俄罗斯入侵以来一直在使用包括陆军战术导弹系统、集束炸弹和星光导弹在内的武器。

价值100万美元的风暴阴影导弹为乌克兰提供了反攻所需的打击范围。

风暴阴影导弹的高精度预编程目标定位使其能够精确打击特定目标，如空军基地的特定机库。

风暴阴影导弹装备有三种不同的导航系统：惯性导航系统、GPS和地形轮廓匹配，以提高精确度并减少对卫星的依赖。

风暴阴影导弹具有地形跟踪飞行功能，能在低空飞行以躲避雷达探测，提高生存能力。

风暴阴影导弹还装备有额外的对抗措施，如红外诱饵，以提高拦截难度。

风暴阴影导弹的延迟引爆功能使其对加固目标具有更高的杀伤力。

风暴阴影导弹的成本超过100万美元，是乌克兰目前拥有的最贵的打击弹药之一。

英国是向乌克兰提供风暴阴影导弹的国家之一，但供应数量有限。

乌克兰空军的飞机数量有限，只有一小部分苏-24能够发射风暴阴影导弹。

美国和法国是向乌克兰提供类似风暴阴影导弹这类导弹的国家，而德国迄今为止拒绝了乌克兰的请求。

美国陆军战术导弹系统（ATACMS）提供了更多的使用机会，因为它是一种地面发射的火箭。

ATACMS导弹的最大射程约为190英里，比风暴阴影的155英里射程更远。

星光导弹是一种超音速短程导弹，能够击落无人机、战斗机、攻击机和直升机。

星光导弹采用激光制导系统，与热寻的导弹相比，它不易受到干扰和诱骗。

BM-21火箭炮，被称为“冰雹”，是一种自1969年以来在几乎每场武装冲突中都被使用的苏联时代武器。

尽管集束弹药在多个国家被禁止，但美国计划将其作为价值80亿美元的援助计划的一部分发送给乌克兰。

美国提供的集束弹药的未爆率低于2.35%，而俄罗斯在乌克兰使用的集束弹药的未爆率在30%到40%之间。

Transcripts

Army tactical missile systems cluster

bombs and star streak missiles all these

are weapons that Ukraine has been using

since Russia invaded the country in

early

2022 we break down Ukraine's Armory from

the tech to its potential impact first

we look at the $1 million Storm Shadow

missile this is the Storm Shadow cruise

missile the weapon that's providing

Ukraine with the strike range it needs

for its counter offensive these highly

precise weapons have a range of over 155

mil three times that of the high Mars in

Ukraine with that kind of range these

weapons are forcing Moscow to rethink

its Logistics here's how these long

range deep strike missiles work and why

the Storm Shadow is equipped to take out

key Russian command and control centers

the reach of a Storm Shadow it allows

Ukraine to Target all of this territory

you see here so if you look here at this

map of the front lines that includes

Crimea places like uh you know berans

where there's a lot of command control

with a miniaturized jet engine

lightweight materials and autonomous

navigation systems the Storm Shadow is

able to travel far beyond the line of

sight of the launching aircraft to

complete its Mission the missile's 155

mile range is what helped Ukraine hit

this bridge more than 100 miles from the

front lines which Russian troops have

relied on for supplies into the hon and

zapara reg

but the missile strength is not just its

range its pre-programmed targeting is

also highly precise it is what we call a

fire and

forget once you pre program it and you

launch it it doesn't require any updates

or communication from the operator

compared to unguided artillery or

rockets that may Target a general area

like an Airbase the target for a Storm

Shadow can be as precise as a specific

hanger of that air base this is possible

because the missile is equipped with

with three different types of navigation

ins GPS and terrain Contour matching the

inertial navigation system is a

collection of onboard motion sensors

that tracks the orientation and velocity

of the missile calculating its location

without satellites but airs can creep

into the system with longer missions so

the Storm Shadow also gets periodic GPS

updates obviously the most accurate way

to do it would be if you just had the

missile hooked up to GPS live stream and

constantly getting updates but GPS can

make the missile vulnerable to

counterattacks so that's dangerous to do

in in a combat environment because you

have electronic warfare countermeasures

some cases they can spoof a GPS signal

so make it tell it it's somewhere where

it's not the third type is terrain

Contour matching using an altimeter to

help establish its location the Storm

Shadow measures changes in the elevation

of the terrain below it and Compares it

to its onboard database all the while

the missile is flying at terrain hugging

altitude one of many features helping

the Storm Shadow evade radar detection

making it difficult to shoot down when

something is flying high you can see it

from a long way away if something is

flying very low it becomes hard to see

because you don't have a clear line of

sight experts say the Storm Shadow also

appears to be outfitted with additional

countermeasures that make it even harder

to intercept though the exact type isn't

publicly disclosed in general missiles

countermeasures can include things like

infrared decoys right flares right

things that will divert um an infrared

sinking inter ctor

missile once the missile identifies and

Strikes its Target experts say the storm

Shadow's impact is comparably more

lethal against hardened targets because

of a feature called delayed

detonation as the missile strikes its

Target an initial smaller charge will

detonate pushing through walls or

reinforcement this will allow the main

Warhead to penetrate deep inside the

Target only then will that main Warhead

detonate the delay is often milliseconds

difference but even that small amount of

time allows for devastating effects

think of it like this if you have a

firecracker on your hand and you light

it and it explodes you know you'll end

up with a nasty burn on your hand if you

close that firecracker around your fist

and it explodes you'll probably lose

your hand these capabilities range

precision and lethal impact have allowed

Ukrainian forces to strike buildings

across occupied parts of Ukraine one

attack tied to the Storm Shadow was

reportedly able to hit a hotel about 95

M behind the front lines killing a

Russian general Lieutenant General

soof this attack in June marks the

highest ranking casualty among Russian

forces so we can see the the Precision

of the weapon at work there being able

to hit the specific part of the building

that you want to hit to to even go after

targets as specific as individuals but

the estimated cost of a Storm Shadow is

more than $1 million per unit one of the

most expensive strike Munitions that

Ukraine currently possesses all of these

features require high-end expensive

technology so in many ways it has more

in common with building an iPhone than

it does an artillery shell and that cost

leads to one of the biggest limitations

Ukraine has with the Storm Shadow its

number of units Britain hasn't released

the number of storm Shadows sent before

the war defense intelligence companies

estimated that the UK had roughly 822

storm shadows in its Arsenal just one

example of how shallow the Storm Shadow

Supply is

during the 2011 Libya intervention that

brought down muamar

Gaddafi the UK and France ran out of

precision guided Munitions including

storm Shadows only a small fraction of a

already small pile is going to Ukraine

it is broadly understood that Ukraine

has far less storm Shadows than himar

Rockets analysts say Ukraine should be

strategic about how and when to use the

storm shadows as a specialized piece of

equipment they're not meant for Mass

bombardments like you might see with

artill they're Precision surgical

Battlefield instruments they go after

high value targets time sensitive

targets they can't just use them to go

blast some random piece of Russian

Artillery behind the lines and it's not

just the number of missiles because it's

an air launch missile Ukraine also needs

to take stock of its aircraft Supply

Ukrainian Air Force started the war with

only about a 100 little over 100 combat

aircraft and only a small portion of

these are Sue 24s capable of firing

Storm Shadow the Storm Shadow is

equipping Ukraine with a critical

capability at an important time in its

counter offensive but the effort is

moving slowly most of the supplies are

coming up through here so by attacking

the attacking the corridors that these

supplies move through they can slow down

and complicate the delivery of Munitions

Williams said that in order for this

strategy to be effective Ukraine will

need more longrange options currently

the UK and France are the only countries

supplying Ukraine with these types of

missiles like the Storm Shadow and the

nearly identical scalp missile Germany

so far has rejected a Ukrainian request

for its tourist cruise missiles which

has an even longer range of nearly 300

miles and the Biden Administration is

still deliberating whether to send its

equivalent Weaponry the Army tactical

missile system or attacks with a range

of some 190 Mi as a truck launched

rocket the attachm offers more

opportunities for use it requires a lot

less logistical train you know you don't

have to support a fighter aircraft you

don't need bases that can be out in the

field still these longrange missiles in

Ukraine come with parameters when the UK

defense secretary announced the country

was supplying the Storm Shadow missiles

to Ukraine he said that the weapons will

allow Ukraine to push back Russian

forces based within Ukraine Sovereign

territory implying a long-standing red

line among the West to avoid targets

inside Russia but even with just the

Storm Shadow Ukraine has begun

complicating the flow of supplies from

Russia to the front lines the storm

shatter missile has had a significant

impact on the battlefield is my

understanding its accuracy and its

ability to deliver successfully the

payload as sent and designed I think the

key here is to recognize that if the

Russians move out of range we must work

together internationally to make sure

that the equipment is given to make sure

they're back in

range Ukrainian forces have repeatedly

asked the US for these they're the Army

tactical missile system attack thems for

short these missiles can come equipped

with a 500lb class fragmentation Warhead

and have a maximum range of about 190 M

which could allow Ukrainian forces to

reach further into Russian held

territories inside Ukraine including

Crimea in September us officials said

they would send a small number of

attack's missiles to Ukraine in coming

weeks after debating the risk of

escalating tensions with Russia and

worrying about its small domestic

stockpile we've been supplying Ukraine

with items from our junk drawer as

opposed to the high-end missile

capability

here's how these missiles could speed up

Ukraine's counter offensive against

Russia and why the US was initially

hesitant to send

them atacs is the army field artillery's

Premier surfac to surface strike system

it allows them to be mobile to disperse

to hide in terrain and clutter uh and to

be able to impose certain kinds of

uncertainty upon the enemy about where

they'll be coming from the attacks is

designed to be launched from a ground

vehicle like the US himars which is

already in Ukraine

once the missile is

fired the ground vehicle can shoot and

Scoot to avoid retaliatory attacks this

could be a huge Advantage for Ukrainian

forces which have been using a similar

missile the UK's Storm Shadow that's

fired from an Airborne jet it just

offers one more level of flexibility for

the counter offense of the other systems

that require launching by air limit

where and when the ukrainians can use

them they need that Air Platform this

essentially empowers Ground Forces to

take these launchers anywhere they need

them one of the interesting features of

the high Mars launcher is that it

doesn't reveal uh exactly what what

missile it's carrying that's uh

advantageous because assuming an enemy

is surveiling you won't necessarily know

what's inside and won't know whether

is's a higher value a attachs as opposed

to the shorter range stuff this gives

ukrainians the added advantage of firing

missiles from multiple types of domains

including air and ground but the haar's

mobility means that ukrainians could get

closer to Russian territory further

increasing the missiles reach aam's

missiles can reach up to 190 Mi

considerably farther than the storm

Shadows top range of 155 miles there's

just all kinds of operational advantages

to that greater range that reach allows

for instance uh Ukrainian forces to be

able to fire from safer territory to not

have to walk right up to the Russian

lines to be able to hit something deeper

back this additional range could force

Moscow to move storage facilities and

command centers more than 200 miles from

the front and that could complicate

efforts to supply troops with food and

ammunition eaing ukrainians in their

counter offensive plus this weapon could

be useful for getting Ukrainian

targeting inside some of these Russian

hell territories specifically Crimea

attacks can also move significant L

faster than other missiles reaching a

top speed of Mach 3 or around 2300 mph

in contrast cruise missiles like the

Storm Shadow or Russia's KH 101 for

example have top speeds of only around

600 to 700 mph the speed of the atacs is

simply a function of the fact that it's

a ballistic missile with a big rocket

engine single stage on the back so this

speed is useful for time critical

targets things that may move that need

to be hit very promptly the attack's

guidance system combines inertial

navigation with GPS this creates highly

accurate targeting preventing electronic

jamming and interference and minimizing

collateral damage on impact attacks are

also designed with features Adept at

hitting multiple types of targets these

missiles are highly maneuverable in the

air allowing them to hit targets from a

variety of angles simple ballistic

missile is going to travel on a

ballistic trajectory it's going to just

follow gra uh gravity's rainbow uh

something that's very predictable

uh and curved the benefit of

maneuverability is that you can

interrupt that rainbow you can come down

in a different way you can maneuver to

be more uh On Target you can go after

perhaps a moving Target and correct for

for errors and yes you can come down uh

vertically uh if you'd like so that

vertical impact may be useful to come

right over top of Target and just make

it that much harder for it to see it

coming or to hit the vulnerable spot on

an armored vehicle attack missiles can

contain one of two types of warheads

unary or submunition a unitary Warhead

is just what it sounds like it is one

big explosive it's in one piece

submunitions or bomblets are likewise

what they sound like uh lots of little

things that spread out there's

advantages to both depending on what

you're targeting inside an attack them

submunition Warhead are hundreds of

steelc cased balls filled with

incendiary pellets which could be

likened crudely to a shotgun blast where

it has a large spray of explosive impact

on the Target and then there's a unitary

Warhead which would be crudely like into

a single bullet out of a

pistol unary Warheads are better at

targeting specific single targets while

some munition Warheads are highly

effective against moving personnel and

Equipment the unitary and the

submunitions are admittedly tailored for

different things but both of them uh can

go after lots of different targets so we

don't know is what what variant they

would provide or what combination of

variants they would provide to the

ukrainians despite Ukraine's requests

the US was hesitant to send attacks

until now there was concerns about uh

escalating the conflict with the

Russians there's concerns that the

ukrainians could use these attacks which

have this long range and Target uh

inside Russian territory but we're also

at a point in the counter offensive

which it's gone a lot slower than

anybody expected and so uh the US may be

digging deeper into its pockets and

greenlighting other Weapons Systems that

it didn't want to provide before given

kind of the time constraints the Biden

Administration faced increased pressure

from Ukraine and Congress to send

attachs missiles last June Congress

signed a bipartisan resolution in favor

of sending attachs to Ukraine and the

Administration has reversed course on

weapons before like with the Abrams tank

but officials have also expressed con

concerned about the US's domestic attack

on stockpile us is really trying to

balance you know its own National

Security needs with those of Ukraine and

Europe at large and the United States

just doesn't have a whole lot of these

lying around they've been out of

production to some extent uh for some

time this recent reversal comes shortly

after a US Army official said that the

replacement missile for the attacks the

prism will be out of production and

entering Us stockpiles in the near

future the prism or Precision strike

missile can reach over 300 mil which is

significantly farther than the attacks

that may also mitigate some of the

impact on the US inventory to provide

the attacks that's kind of opening the

door for potentially providing them

now this star streak missile travels

over three times the speed of sound and

following a decades long Hiatus it's

going into reproduction after the UK

sent stockpiles of the Cold War era

weapon to

Ukraine this lightweight Man portable

air defense system is a short- range

missile that can travel approximately

4.3 miles and shoot down aircraft like

drones figh or ground attack planes and

helicopters that's why the star streak

may be most useful along the front lines

Ukrainian soldiers leave the bubble of

protection provided from long-range

missiles as they advance but they can

carry the lightweight star streak

missiles with them or equip them on

tanks like the British Alvis Stormer

here's how the missile works and how it

can uniquely equip Ukraine's air defense

at roughly 2300 mph the star streak

travels 100 mph faster than the Stinger

a similar US missile at that speed

targets likely don't have enough time to

react and evade the missile making the

star streak potentially more

lethal targets also have to withstand

being hit by not just one Warhead but

three unlike the stinger and other

missiles in this class the star streak

releases three tungsten darts toward the

target after its launch

having three darts accounts for Warhead

failure even if one Dart is defective

there are still two others once the

darts reach the target they embed

themselves into it and explode this

maximizes the chance the target will be

destroyed but the key distinguishing

factor between the star streak and other

man portable missiles is its guidance

system most including the Stinger are

heat seeking meaning they use infrared

systems to track the target but heat

seeking missiles are susceptible to

counter measures like flares because

these other missiles track the hottest

object sitting off flares can guide the

missile away from the heat of the

aircraft's engine and towards the flare

instead but the star streak is not heat

seeking it's laser guided after

launching the missile the gunman

projects a laser beam onto the target

for the three darts to follow this laser

guided system is precise and means the

star streak can't be jammed or decoyed

but compared to Fire and forget missiles

like the Stinger the star streak

requires more training to use and puts a

greater burden on the operator and this

manual tracking means it's more

effective for slower moving targets as

long as Russia believes Ukraine has star

streak missiles it may be less willing

to fly into Ukraine's airspace for fear

of getting shot down and the star streak

is uniquely equipped to handle the newer

tactics deployed on the front lines

including drones because of their low

heat signature drones can evade heat

scking missiles but they're easily taken

down by star streak missiles if

operators can spot them

yet training soldiers on the star streak

isn't the greatest obstacle for Ukraine

the main issue is simply Supply the star

streak was designed by the arms maker

short Brothers in the 1980s for the

British government during the Cold War

it didn't see active service until 2003

in the Iraq War then in 2012 it went out

of mass production but that same year

soldiers in London were equipped with

star streak missiles to protect the city

in case of an attack during the

Olympics experts believe production C

stopped because the Man portable

missiles like star streak and Stinger

missiles were thought to be less crucial

for the defense needs of the UK and the

us at the time but Britain retained its

stockpile after the UK and US denied

Ukraine's request to create a no-fly

zone over the country the UK sent these

missiles to help keep Ukraine's airspace

clear from Russian aircraft so in

response to Ukrainian requests the

government has taken the decision to

explore the donation of star streak High

Velocity Man portable anti uh missiles

this renewed demand has led the French

weapons manufacturer Talis to renew its

production of star streak missiles but

like many weapons manufacturers Talis

has supply chain issues these

complications mean relaunching the star

streak could take over a year since last

March the UK has sent numerous air

defense systems and over 10,000 missiles

though the exact number of star streak

missiles is unknown it's also unclear

how many star streak missiles Ukraine

has left or when it will get more but

experts say that the country is

strategically quiet about its air

defense

systems star streak missiles are just

one kind of man portable missile which

is just one type of short-range missile

which is just one method of air defense

experts say it's best practice to have

multiple options to solve the same

problem which is why Ukraine has asked

for a variety of

weapons Contra

offensive best control

of best

P analysts have called this bm21 rocket

launcher the AK47 of

artillery because it's been used in

almost every armed conflict since

1969 and right now both Ukraine and

Russia are using the Soviet era weapon

experts say it was technologically

outdated in the 9s so why is this

60-year-old rocket launcher everywhere

in this

war the the bm21 can fire up to 40

unguided rockets in 20 seconds the

Rockets are nearly 10 ft tall and are

most commonly armed with high explosive

fragmentation Warheads when all 40 rain

down they can cover an area almost as

large as 10 football fields this heavy

and indiscriminate bombardment is what

gave the bm21 the nickname grad Russian

for Hail it's what makes the grad

effective even today the grad is often

used to suppress fire a tactic to

provide cover for forces and weaken the

enemy before another attack most of the

122 mm Rockets have a range of 12 Mi

though some can reach up to 25 so

Ukraine has used it mostly along the

front lines to hit Russian Artillery

batteries and infantry while Russia has

fired it into cities like hon where a

grad rocket strike killed five people

and harff get in here get in get

in

experts say the grad's main flaw is the

defining part of its design that it has

no guidance system after loading the

Rockets an operator calculates the

coordinates of the Target and gives them

to the gunman who adjusts the launcher

an operator sets the number of rockets

and fires them the results are not

precise here you can see that the chance

a grad rocket directly hits a human

adult Target is highest up to 32 ft Away

by 328 ft it's almost guaranteed to

miss however an explosive grad Warhead

has a lethal area radius of about 50 ft

and it can still severely maim someone

within 100 ft but this lack of accuracy

is why it needs so many Rockets to be

truly effective and that's a problem for

Ukraine because analysts believe the

country's original stockpile is already

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gone the US said it has supplied Ukraine

with 60 th000 grad Rockets but on the

ground in August some brigades in

Ukraine drove around with empty

launchers and others said they were

conserving ammo by choosing targets more

selectively some Ukrainian soldiers have

also taken the rocket launchers and fit

them into the back of pickup trucks

creating a mini grad these fire at a

shorter distance and use just three

rockets at a time but analysts say these

measures may not be worth it since the

grad rocket is unguided soldiers risk

missing their target entire

effectively wasting their limited supply

of ammunition the weapon has multiplied

across the globe and into the arsenals

of more than 50 countries with variants

like the Chinese type 81 and Czech

rm70 but according to action on armed

violence a British human rights

organization Russia is still the largest

producer of the grad's 122 mm

Rockets Ukraine on the other hand is

largely at the whim of other countries

to replenish its Supply and without

missile the trucks they're mounted on

offer few other benefits especially

considering that the original Euro 375d

Truck has absolutely no armor the

windows aren't reinforced with any

special type of glass they're basically

just truck windows from the' 60s and70s

even the newer Vehicles offer little

protection just enough to protect from

small arms like guns and soldiers have

said that if the grad were to run over

an anti-tank mine everyone in the

vehicle would die lacking protection

means that it's important to pack up and

leave immediately after firing which can

take up to 3 minutes for the grad this

tactic is called the shoot and Scoot

because once you've launched the Rockets

the target can calculate where they came

from and fire back the bm21 is outdated

and has been effectively obsolete for

decades as a Ukrainian Soldier said it

is better to ask what has not broken the

vehicle is prone to breaking down and

soldiers aren't always able to get the

parts to fix it its successors like the

Russ Russian BM 27 EUR Aon and Czech

rm70 often have improved ranges or some

armor to protect the vehicle but they

still lack the Precision and range of

modern systems like us High Mars even

though it's a flawed weapon Russia may

still have an advantage because it has

deeper reserves analysts say ultimately

the reason Ukraine still deploys the

grad is just because it already has the

system in place it's simple but it works

that's why despite all the problems the

bm21 has stuck around for another

War these are cluster

Munitions a type of weapon that the US

plans to send to Ukraine the

controversial bombs are prohibited by

multiple countries but they are part of

an $800 million Aid package the Biden

Administration says will strengthen

Ukraine's offensive against Russian

forces Russia has already spread tens of

millions of these bomblets across

Ukrainian territory here's a breakdown

of how the cluster munition works and

why the United States plans on sending

them despite humanitarian

concerns us cluster Munitions also known

as Dual Purpose improved conventional

munition are a type of weapon that

spreads small bomblets over a wide area

what dpicm bring to a battlefield is

anti- armor and anti-personnel

capability a common type of cluster

munition is fired in artillery shells

which is what the US is expected to give

Ukraine they can also be in the form of

Rockets or dropped from a plane the

weapon opens midair to release tens or

hundreds of smaller explosive Munitions

or submunitions these submunitions can

be loaded with charges that can

penetrate armor or Munitions that can

strike multiple human targets across an

area as large as several football fields

clearly a capability that would be

useful in any type of offensive

operations in Ukraine Russia has used

these Munitions as far far back as the

first days of the invasion according to

Human Rights Watch the group said one

attack struck residential areas in harke

killing at least three

civilians specifically they say Russia

has used 9 m55 K smirch Rockets those

are composed of submunition containers

that have a tail finin and a fuse and

sit at the front of the rocket the

submunitions are designed to attack both

people and Equipment behind those is the

propellant after the rocket is launched

the container ejects the submunitions

commonly by combining an explosive

charge and a spin mechanism when the

fuse of each submunition is triggered on

the ground or in the air it explodes but

some of them can also fail to detonate

these are referred to as Duds a common

issue with cluster Munitions Duds can

cause long-term hazards as they may

detonate after conflicts end and harm

civilians human rights groups say the

first significant use of cluster weapons

was by German and Soviet forces in World

War II the Munitions released by German

planes were commonly called Butterfly

bombs with an attack on the British Port

of grimby killing almost as many people

after the raid as during it this bomb

may go off as soon as it's even lightly

touched it may also go off by itself up

to half an hour after it

landed the US made extensive use of

cluster Munitions during the Vietnam war

also dropping them in neighboring LA and

since then unexploded bombs dropped by

American planes have killed or maimed

thousands of Le oceans more recently

during the war in Iraq the US showered

more than 1 million bomblets during a

3-we period of major combat since 2008

more than 110 countries have signed an

International Convention on cluster

Munitions that prohibits all use

transfer production and stockpiling of

cluster bombs Russia and Ukraine have

not signed the agreement and the US is

among several other NATO countries that

are also not signatories the dpicm

ammunition we are delivering to Ukraine

will consist only of those with a dud

rate less than

2.35% compare that to Russia which has

been using cluster Munitions across

Ukraine with dud rates of between 30 and

40% cluster Munitions are already being

used by both sides in the war in Ukraine

the difference is that Russia is using

clust amunition to attack to invade

Ukraine Ukraine is using cluster

munition to protect itself against an

aggressor

according to Human Rights Watch Ukraine

inherited a stockpile of cluster

Munitions after the breakup of the

Soviet Union and the Biden

Administration decided to provide us

cluster Munitions after written

assurances that the weapons wouldn't be

used in civilian areas even allies who

were signatories to the Oslo convention

while they cannot formally support

something that they've signed up to a

convention against have indicated both

privately and many of them publicly over

the course of today that they understand

our decision the Pentagon says the

cluster Munitions could be effective

when used against Russian armored

formations and trench lines and US

officials have defended the decision to

supply the weapons as necessary to

prevent Ukraine from running low on

artillery ammunition at a critical stage

in the conflict by providing Ukraine

with dpicm artillery ammunition we will

ensure that the Ukrainian military has

sufficient artillery ammunition for many

months to

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come