Ukraine is facing an invasion from the east. The second biggest country on our continent with an area of nearly 604 thousand square kilometers is being conquered by the Russian army from several directions. The breadbasket of Europe has been turned into a giant warehouse of military equipment of all kinds.
Due to their shared history, both sides are using similar technology from the Soviet era. Howitzers, for example, often face each other, which differ only in the varying degrees of modernization and, most importantly, the much-publicized markings on Russian vehicles.
While Russia (so far) dominates the skies and wins in destructive missile power and quantity, the Ukrainian defences are nevertheless bolstered again by anti-aircraft and anti-tank small arms complexes from the West, Turkish drones and, undoubtedly, by military intel from NATO and the US. Let’s take a look at some of these weapons in the following few chapters.
If you don’t have a Javelin, toss in a slightly smaller NLAW. The acronym for Next Generation Light Anti-tank Weapon, or the Main Battle Tank and Light Anti-tank Weapon (MBT LAW), is another hilarious foreign gift to Ukraine and a joint effort between Sweden’s Saab and the UK’s Thales Air Defence.
Like the Javelin, it’s a fire-and-forget weapon, with the rest taken care of by electronics for automatic target guidance. Indeed, the 12.5 kg NLAW, which can handle 500 mm armour, has an effective range of only 600 metres. Therefore, the attacker must get fairly close to the target and then make a quick getaway.
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