A former US special forces soldier trained Ukrainian troops how to use the Javelin anti-tank missiles despite having no experience with the weapon system, Fox News reported on Tuesday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th May, 2022) A former US special forces soldier trained Ukrainian troops how to use the Javelin anti-tank missiles despite having no experience with the weapon system, Fox news reported on Tuesday.
The former US commando, Mark Hayward, had to teach himself how to use the Javelin weapon system some 12 hours before training Ukrainian troops, the report said.
Hayward left the US Army in 2007 but traveled to Ukraine earlier this year to join the Foreign Legion, the report said. Hayward described to Fox News that Ukrainians received minimal training on how to use the Javelin missiles since there were not enough to spare to demonstrate their use.
The United States has delivered some 5,500 Javelin missiles that have been allocated for Ukraine. Despite the Defense Department's assurances, the Biden administration is looking at alternative plans in case there are shortages, especially due to the lack of semiconductors. Each Javelin missile has more than 200 semiconductors.
US Senator Richard Blumenthal said the United States has now distributed one-third of its available Javelin missiles, and it will take a year to ramp up to full production from the current annual purchasing level of 1,000 per year. Blumenthal estimated it could take up to 32 months to replenish the stocks.
Defense contractor Raytheon said it will probably not be until 2023-2024 before they can fully replenish the supplies of the Javelin as well as the Stinger ground-to-air missiles.
