American arms manufacturers were not ready to produce more GMLRS missiles and HIMARS launchers. The problem that prevents sending weapons to Ukraine and replenishing stocks in the United States turned out to be in supply chains, according to the Wall Street Journal.
In May 2022, US President Joe Biden visited the Lockheed Martin factory in Troy. Then he and the company’s chief executive, Jim Teyklet, promised to double Javelin missile production by 2024. Now that goal has been pushed to 2026, and deadlines for increasing GMLRS missile production for HIMARS were also shifted.
The publication notes that American gunsmiths are buying material for the production of the most sought-after ammunition abroad. Lockheed Martin said April 18 that it was missing key components such as rocket motors for the GMLRS and other missiles. For this reason, the schedule for increasing the production of weapons had to be shifted.
We thought we could reach it sooner
Jay Malave, chief financial officer of Lockheed Martin, told the publication.
The shortage of rocket motors has also been called a problem at Raytheon Technologies. In the United States, they are trying to remedy the situation by contracting Northrop Grumman to produce more of the engines needed.
Earlier it was reported that the Ukrainian army successfully used inflatable models of American HIMARS MLRS and M777 howitzers in the Donbass. Positions with false targets were photographed by the Russian military. Experts note that HIMARS MLRS and M777 inflatable howitzers are used to deceive Russian reconnaissance drones. From the air, it is almost impossible to determine that a mock-up is installed on the ground, and not a real weapon or a multiple rocket launcher system.
Photos used: Lockheed Martin
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