Increasing number of pictures are appearing on Ukrainian social media showing a US-made rocket launcher being used against Russian targets
Forbes McKenzie, an defence intelligence analyst, told Sky News:"The artillery pieces that are now coming into action: the CAESAR system, a 155mm artillery piece from the French, has been brought into action... the HIMAR system from the US... they need a combat mass of 54 to have real effect.
"They can fire six rockets at any one time, be in action in 16 seconds, they can shoot, they can scoot, they can survive. They are the type of munitions the Ukrainians will need in order to deter and defeat the Russians in the coming months. "This was used at the weekend. On 2 July an airport in the Melitopol region had a lot of equipment on it from the Russians. We understand that on the 3rd, this weapon system was used against those aircraft."It's starting to come into use but it will take a period of months to commit properly."
The US Department of Defence, which has promised to send four more HIMARS in the next couple of weeks, says the rockets supplied to Ukraine have a range of 40 miles.Colin Kahl, US undersecretary of defence for policy, told a Pentagon briefing on 1 June:"These are precision guided systems with extended range, for high value targets, that allows them to keep some of the pressure off of Ukrainian forces on the front.
There have been other unverified claims that the HIMARS has been used in the last few days against a Russian base in the Izyum area.
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