Ukrainian forces have regained territory in Kherson, one of the four regions illegally annexed by Moscow last week.
Video / AP
Ukrainian troops have received a new type of Himars rocket capable of devastating 1.3ha of land in a single salvo, as they prepare to take on Russian defensive positions in Kherson.
The new ammunition variant for the long-range rocket system, supplied by the United States, is designed to blast almost 200,000 tungsten ball bearings across a large area, causing damage to troops and soft-skinned vehicles.
Current Ukrainian stocks of the precision rockets use the M31 unitary warhead, best suited for destroying individual targets like headquarters buildings or ammunition dumps.
The M31 has a 14-stone explosive charge contained inside a fragmentation sleeve which produces diamond-shaped shrapnel. It is not ideal against targets spread over large areas, as the deadly chunks are not designed to fly far.
In contrast, the new M30A1 rocket contains 182,000 tungsten ball bearings designed to cover a much larger area.
Images on Twitter from the Ukraine Weapons Tracker site showed pods of M30A1 rockets in Ukraine. Markings on the base of the missiles show the correct manufacturer and lot numbers for the new variant.
Ukrainian forces are likely to have requested the weapon as they continue to push back Russian units from the northeast and southern fronts.
Ukrainian troops have received a new type of Himars rocket. Photo / AP
In recent weeks, Kyiv's troops advancing east from Kharkiv have largely bypassed concentrations of Russian firepower, preferring to race around Moscow's troops while staying out of range in an attempt to cut off and slowly strangle the defensive positions.
Long-range precision artillery, such as Himars, have been critical in these engagements to keep Russian reinforcements at bay and destroy ammunition dumps that could be used to break up the Ukrainian attacks.
However, the next phase of the war will probably see Kyiv's troops taking on better-prepared Russian positions, particularly in the south around the city of Kherson, an area they have occupied since March. Precise missiles like the M31 will be used in these attacks, but will need to work in tandem with the new rocket variant.
Here, the much wider effective area of the M30A1, which can be programmed to explode in the air above concentrations of troops, will be used to chew up trench systems and clear routes through which Ukrainian soldiers can advance.
The M30A1 missiles replaced earlier cluster munitions that were used to great effect in the Gulf War, but left behind lots of unexploded bombs.
Many civilians around the world have been maimed and killed by such devices, sometimes years after military conflict has ended. Children are especially vulnerable as they are attracted to them and often do not know what they are.
The US replaced its stocks of the M26 rocket, which blasted more than 600 "steel rain" bomblets over a wide area, with the M31, which has a single, large explosive charge and does not leave unexploded munitions behind.
The M30A1 rockets, known as the Alternative Warhead by the makers Lockheed Martin, are thought to have been included in the Pentagon's latest package of military aid to Ukraine.
