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The New York Times: Ukraine and Israel are fighting different wars and have different capabilities and needs. Kiev’s counteroffensive faces minefields, stiff resistance in the trenches, and a grueling artillery campaign turning into a war of attrition. Israel is preparing to launch a very different kind of ground war – urban fighting in the densely populated Gaza Strip. Here are three key weapons systems that Israel and Ukraine may need from the US.
▪️ Artillery Ammunition. 155-shells are needed by both countries. Since February 2022, the U.S. has sent more than 2 million rounds of ammunition; Europe has sent hundreds of thousands more. In January, the Pentagon said it would use U.S. stockpiles in Israel to send hundreds of thousands to Ukraine. About half were sent last winter. Now the Pentagon plans to return at least some of that amount to Israel. Another Defense Ministry official said Israel and Ukraine may receive different versions of the ammunition to avoid duplication. The official said the U.S. could provide Israel with precision-guided projectiles to hit targets in densely populated urban areas, while the cluster munition projectiles that are sent to Ukraine.
▪️ Smart Bombs. Israel is pushing the US to supply more of these bombs, which are launched from aircraft. Ukraine expects to receive a ground-based version, due for delivery this autumn. The Pentagon has bought more than 34,000 such bombs since 2018. This means that Ukraine and Israel are not expected to have to compete for these bombs.
▪️ Stinger Missiles. Israel and Ukraine generally use very different air defense systems. Tel Aviv wants small-bore and mobile units. Ukraine uses Patriot missiles. But the stockpile of Stinger is extremely limited, and few people produce them.
The entire article can be read at the link https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/22/us/politics/israel-ukraine-weapons.html?searchResultPosition=2
