One official told The Washington Post that Kyiv identifies targets and requests US coordinates. If the US doesn't provide them, Ukraine won't fire.
www.businessinsider.com
Ukrainian troops equipped with devastating HIMARS are waiting for US targeting data before firing on Russian forces, officials say
- Ukrainian troops usually won't fire their HIMARS without targeting data from the US, officials said.
- The US-provided HIMARS have been a key weapon for Ukrainian forces throughout the war.
- Ukraine has repeatedly asked for longer-range missiles to make the weapons more deadly.
The Ukrainian military almost never fires the US-provided High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) that have devastated Russian forces unless they receive targeting data from the US, The Washington Post reported, citing Ukrainian officials.
According to a senior Ukrainian official who spoke to the Post, the targeting process often involves Ukrainian forces identifying a Russian target, requesting more accurate coordinates from US partners, and then waiting to receive said coordinates.
The official said that the US doesn't always send coordinates. In that case, they said, Ukraine holds its fire. As the report explained, Ukraine can still launch HIMARS attacks without US coordinates, but the country is reluctant to waste ammunition by potentially missing the target.
The Department of Defense did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment on report detailing US involvement in Ukrainian military operations.
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