The reason why Western heavy weapons have not helped Ukraine counterattack and break through

(Dan Tri) – Observers point out the reason why although Ukraine uses heavy Western weapons, it has not made a breakthrough on the battlefield in nearly 4 months when counterattacking Russia.

Ukrainian soldiers open fire on the front line (Illustration photo: Reuters).

The Wall Street Journal cited sources from Western defense officials and defense manufacturers as pointing out why Ukraine has not made a breakthrough with weapons donated by the US and its allies, despite previous expectations that

Accordingly, the training time for Ukrainian soldiers to use weapons is too short and the Kiev side’s improper operation of military equipment is considered the cause of damage to many equipment.

The American newspaper used the example of the Panzerhaubitze 2000, a 155mm self-propelled gun produced by Germany.

Another example is that Ukraine was provided with advanced American Bradley armored fighting vehicles, German armored personnel carriers and Leopard tanks.

Experts say that this period of time is not enough for Ukraine to be able to `transform` into large-scale mechanized combat units according to Western standards.

Condensing the training process into just a few weeks is not enough when Western weapons aid often comes with tactical and strategic systems to coordinate weapons in combat operations.

Additionally, the lack of proper and timely maintenance causes many weapons to malfunction.

`If they take care of the electronics then the weapon will work,` said Armin Papperger, CEO of Rheinmetall, the maker of the Panzerhaubitze 2000.

Previously, there was information about artillery produced by his company catching fire or having to be loaded manually after the automatic system broke down in the Ukrainian battlefield.

In addition, using weapons beyond the allowed limit is also considered a reason why they cannot operate effectively.

A Ukrainian artillery commander said Western artillery with complicated structures is quite erratic in combat, with many broken artillery pieces having to be taken for repair.

This is something that has been predicted for many months.

For example, each Western artillery battery providing aid to Ukraine has a different range, loading mechanism, spare parts, maintenance requirements, and a host of other aspects.