The Pentagon in Poland established a center to repair HIMARS, M777s and other weapons of the Ukrainian Armed Forces

The Ukrainian Armed Forces will be able to repair American equipment and weapons in Poland. For this purpose, the US Department of Defense has deployed a repair center there.

Here's What We Know

U.S. specialists communicate with Ukrainian servicemen through some kind of "secure digital chats." There are 14 of them - one for each type of equipment or weapon, including HIMARS multiple rocket launchers and M777 artillery systems. The U.S. military, in an interview with Defense One, recounted several interesting situations that occurred during their time in Poland.

The main thing they note is the unusual requests from the Ukrainian army. In particular, the Americans did not expect so rapid wear and tear of the barrels of artillery systems. The reason is the ultra-high intensity of use of guns.

The rate at which the Ukrainian Armed Forces use howitzers was not taken into account during the testing of the weapons during their development. Because of the high intensity of firing, even those elements that in theory should not break down get out of order.

Thus, problems arise that should be solved not in the field, but during scheduled repairs. Accordingly, even the U.S. Army does not possess the necessary spare parts in sufficient quantity to promptly replace the failed parts. Less complex problems can be solved by the Ukrainians themselves. For example, damage from bullets.

Moreover, some parts are already made in Ukraine. Specialists use computer-aided design to develop designs, get recommendations from the U.S. military, make adjustments and produce the parts themselves. But there are no details on this process yet.

Last week, General Mark Milley visited the repair center in Poland. According to him, the purpose of the visit was to check the level of security. As it turned out, the center is protected by means of air defense, including Patriot missile batteries.

Source: Defense One