According to AFP html on the 28th, according to U.S. officials and experts, the United States will soon be unable to provide Ukraine with certain types of ammunition that are crucial to it in the conflict because these types of ammunition are consumed faster than replenishment.
reported that since the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, Washington has become Ukraine's largest arms supplier, and since February 24, the United States has provided more than $16.8 billion in military aid to Ukraine. Inventories of some U.S. equipment "has dropped to the minimum required for combat readiness planning and training," and it may take "years" to restore inventory to pre-Russia conflict levels," Mark Cancian, senior consultant at the U.S. Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
AFP quoted an unnamed U.S. military official as saying that Washington is "learning" from the conflict about ammunition demand in a conflict of great powers that "much higher than" it expected.
"Haimas" multi-bar rocket launcher system US military data map
reported that some weapons and equipment provided by the United States have become symbols of Ukrainian conflict , such as the "Jaberlin" anti-tank system widely used by the Ukrainian army, and the "Haimas" multi-bar rocket launcher system that plays an important role in the Ukrainian counter-offensive operation. However, the inventory of GMLRS ammunition (a guided rocket with a range of more than 80 kilometers) for use by the US "Haimas" system is limited.
Kansian said, "If the United States ships one-third of its inventory to Ukraine (like the ‘javelin’ and ‘stinger’), Ukraine will receive 8,000 to 10,000 rockets . These stocks can last for several months, but when the inventory runs out, there is no replacement." He pointed out that US arms dealers can produce about 5,000 GMLRS rockets a year, and although the U.S. government is working to help speed up production and recently allocate funds for this, it will still take years to replenish the inventory. He added that older gear could be used to fill the gap.
report mentioned that the United States has provided Ukraine with about 8,500 "javelin" missiles , but its annual output is only about 1,000. Statistics from the Pentagon show that the United States has also provided Ukraine with more than 800,000 NATO standard 155mm shells, which is three-quarters of the total amount provided by all Western countries to Ukraine.
Cancian believes that the number of such shells provided by Washington "may be close to the limits the United States is willing to provide without damaging its own combat capabilities." Currently, the United States can produce about 14,000 pieces per month, but the Pentagon has announced plans to increase that number to 36,000 pieces within three years. Even so, the annual output can only reach 432,000, less than half of the number of shells provided to Ukraine in the past seven months. (Editor: HHJ)
