The US will refurbish T 72 tanks and Hawk missiles for Ukraine. An expensive military vintage
The United States will finance the refurbishment of T-72 tanks and HAWK surface-to-air missiles as part of an approximately $ 400 million security assistance package for Ukraine, the Pentagon announced on Friday.
Air defense and armor-plating capabilities are both high on Ukraine's list of desired aid, but the T-72s fall short of more modern tanks like the German Leopards or the US Abrahams that were requested by Kiev. . However, they are tanks that the Ukrainians know well and that do not require special training of the crews.
Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh then said that, with the help of the Netherlands, MBT T 72s will be refurbished and modernized, including 45 from the Czech Republic. The Soviet-era tanks will be equipped with "advanced packages of optics, communications and armor ”, some of which will be ready by the end of December and others will be delivered in 2023.
When asked why more modern tanks were not supplied, Singh cited such factors as ease of use and cost. "These are tanks that Ukrainians know how to use on the battlefield," he said, adding that "the introduction of a new main tank is extremely expensive, time-sensitive and would be a huge undertaking for Ukrainian forces. ".
The package also funds the refurbishment of HAWK missiles from US stocks, an important asset as Ukraine seeks to thwart Russian drone and missile attacks targeting its cities and energy infrastructure. These missiles originally date back to the 1960s, but were extensively renewed until the 1980s. Now, also sold by Spain, they will be further renewed and will serve as medium-range defense missiles. An expensive retrofit of a vintage military product.
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan acknowledged the urgency of the air defense issue on Friday in Kiev, where he met with President Volodymyr Zelensky and other senior officials.
"We recognize the dire need for air defense at this critical time when Russia and Russian forces are showering Iranian missiles and drones on this country's civilian infrastructure," Sullivan said at a news conference.
The U.S. service package also includes 1,100 Phoenix Ghost drone systems, as well as 40 armored boats and the refurbishment of 250 M1117 armored vehicles, among other things.
The package is part of Ukraine's Security Assistance Initiative, which funds the purchase of equipment from the defense industry, rather than taking products directly from existing military stocks. With these means, the Ukrainian army will go on in the war until the exhaustion of one of the two peoples or armies. It will be long months of death.
Thanks to our Telegram channel you can stay updated on the publication of new articles of Economic Scenarios.
The article The US will refurbish T 72 tanks and Hawk missiles for Ukraine. An expensive military vintage comes from Economic Scenarios .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/gli-usa-ristruttureranno-carri-t-72-e-missili-hawk-per-lucraina-un-costoso-vintage-militare/ on Sat, 05 Nov 2022 07:00:36 +0000.