Ramstein-9 results: tanks, aircraft, air defense, ammunition - Military expert Zgurets

Rammstein-9

We are already used to the prestigious Defense Ministers meetings. Usually up to 40 countries take part in the meeting. This time there were 54, which signals that the anti-Russian coalition is growing. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said at the beginning of the meeting that they will continue to support Ukraine. At the beginning of the press conference, he did not give details on what exactly will be sent to Ukraine.

Then there was a conference on the first day results, and Austin noted that certain packages will be expanded. Regarding the aircraft, he said that the US is not ready to make any announcements yet and that they "continue to work on this issue, but first of all we take into account those things that are of interest to Ukraine in the short term". Now the focus is on the spring counteroffensive, there is a lot to do. Austin mentioned the systems provided to Ukraine: Stryker, Bradley, infantry fighting vehicles, mortars, artillery systems and others. This is what we expect and what will be provided by other countries. Also, Lloyd Austin emphasized that it is necessary to create a full picture of this weaponry in order to understand whether it will be enough for Ukraine to start a counteroffensive.

On the eve of the meeting in Ramstein, Ukrainian Defense Minister Reznikov announced several things on the agenda: air defense, aviation equipment, increasing the number of tank coalition members, as well as ammunition for the AFU. That is, all things crucial on the battlefield right now. This will ensure the effectiveness of the weapons that were sent earlier and the units that use these weapons.

Defense Minister of Ukraine Reznikov said that he heard clear messages from all representatives: Ukraine will be fully supported until victory. And everyone believes that Ukraine should achieve triumph on the battlefield. He also emphasized that all the participants discussed the timeliness and consistency of aid packages.

Aircraft topic at Ramstein-9 

There was an interesting plot line: the Minister of Defense of Ukraine showed a handkerchief with an image of a plane silhouette that resembles a Su-27 heavy fighter. It is unlikely that the Su-27 will be provided, but the handkerchief is a symbol and a hint that the aviation issue will be partially resolved. Ukraine made a request to the Netherlands and Slovakia regarding aircraft. The Netherlands has quite a lot of F-16 aircraft, about 32; the Netherlands is currently replacing them with modern F-35s. When the Netherlands received the request, the country's defense minister said she preferred to discuss the matter in private. This discussion will continue and will have certain results.

Slovakia is also considering sending aircraft to Ukraine. They have MiG-29 AS fighters - this is a modernized version, and Slovakia is ready to send these aircraft for a certain payment from the EU. Poland assessed its options with F-16s, but said that these aircraft (a part of the Polish army) are not available for transfer now. Poland has MiG-29 fighters, and they wanted to send them, but the USA were opposed to it.

This might affect the aircraft topic; they might send either aircraft or spare parts for those that are already used by the Ukrainian army. Or aircraft already in service with the AFU. In particular, MiG-29s from Slovakia.

Tanks for Ukraine

The tank component was also discussed. The Leopard tanks situation resembles the aircraft story. At the previous Ramstein this issue was paused. Germany did not want to send them, but after Ramstein we saw a change. Germany, the United States and Great Britain volunteered to give Ukraine tanks. This scenario might repeat with aircraft.

Today at Ramstein, the US Defense Minister announced the Leopard tank coalition. Eight countries are ready to transfer Leopard tanks: Germany, Poland, Canada, Portugal, Spain, Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands. These countries have different Leopard versions, namely Leopard-1 and Leopard-2. There are 178 Leopard-1, and 40 Leopard-2 tanks available. There are also Challenger and Abrams that will arrive later. They also mentioned 90 T-72 tanks transferred by the USA and the Czech Republic for the Ukrainian army. So, taking everything into account, we will be able to equip one tank brigade and two or three mechanized brigades with these tanks and BMPs starting in March. They will be crucial for the counteroffensive.

The training has also begun. Soldiers are mastering tanks, so this will significantly shorten the terms of introducing these units into combat operations.

Air defense for Ukraine

It was confirmed that both the USA and Germany continue providing air defense, namely Patriot systems. In addition, Germany will transfer several more launchers to the IRIS-T systems already used by the AFU to hit enemy targets. France and Spain mentioned the transfer of an even more modern SAMP-T complex capable of hitting ballistic targets. It was also clear that additional missiles for these systems will be provided .

Ammunition for the Ukrainian army

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg spoke about ammunition: there is a need to ensure the right amount of ammunition. According to him, ammunition is vital in this war and a large amount is being used up. They will have to wait 25 months for new ammunition orders, so there is a question of expanding production capacities, and this is extremely important to ensure that there is enough.

Own weapon systems

We will receive new weapons from the West, but the production of our own weapon systems is also important. We have modern Ukrainian systems, and the AFU desperately needs a lot of them: unmanned and electronic warfare systems, for example, the first Ukrainian Bohdana 155 mm self-propelled gun. It was manufactured back in 2018 in Kramatorsk and Kremenchuk and was first used to strike at Zmiinyi Island – after this, General Zaluzhnyi with the Ministry of Defense promised that it would be ordered in large quantities from another manufacturer.