What can the Ukrainian Marine Corps be armed with?

The statement of President Zelensky that Ukraine will create its own Marine Corps caused some unhealthy excitement in Runet. Ridicule and low-grade witticisms poured out of a bucket, trying with might and main to belittle this "imitation of the Americans." There is a strong impression that many Russians have again mentally returned to 2014-2015 without drawing any conclusions from the events of the past fifteen months.

Speaking to the Ukrainian marines, Volodymyr Zelensky tried to raise their morale by announcing plans to create a new type of troops - the Marine Corps (MCC), and a significant increase in its strength:




According to some information, from 5 to 6 brigades will be formed, the total number of which can reach 25 thousand people. The ILC should become the main mobile expeditionary force of the Kyiv regime. The US Marine Corps is clearly chosen as a role model for "95th Quarter".

Both ours and the Ukrainian Marines come from the same Soviet roots, representing an elite and relatively few special forces created to perform equally specific tasks: combat operations in amphibious assaults, as well as to defend naval bases, important sections of the coast and coastal objects. Unfortunately, they had to face each other during the fighting in the southeast of the former Square. The Ukrainian marines held the defense in Mariupol together with the Nazi militants and fought there really staunchly.

The basis of MP weapons is various floating equipment, BTR-80 and self-propelled guns 2S1 "Gvozdika", BMP-1, BTR-70 and MT-LB, American HMMWV SUVs, 120-mm mortars 2S12 "Sani", automatic grenade launchers AGS-17, machine guns , submachine guns and sniper rifles. It is believed that this is enough to solve the basic tasks of the Marines. What will change if the Ukrainian MP is restructured in the image and likeness of the American Marine Corps?

An important difference between the Russian and Ukrainian marines, on the one hand, and the American, on the other, is that the latter is not some kind of elite special forces, but is a highly mobile rapid reaction force.

In order to bring any natives to their senses, Washington has 11-12 aircraft carrier strike groups (AUG) and the Marine Corps, the largest in the world. The number of the American KPM is more than 180 thousand people, plus almost 40 thousand more in the reserve. To perform the main combat mission of landing and overcoming the prepared enemy defenses in the coastal zone, the ILC has its own forces and means - armored, artillery and aviation, as well as a whole landing fleet. It is quite obvious that the United States will not transfer any UDC or BDK to Ukraine, limiting itself only to light landing craft. However, it is of interest to us what the American Marines are armed with, which of these can eventually be transferred to the Kyiv regime. And there is something to see.

First of all, the American ILC has its own carrier-based aircraft necessary to suppress enemy defenses on the coast: fifth-generation F-35B Lightning II and F-35C Lightning II fighters, F / A-18C Hornet fighter-bombers in various modifications, as well as AV attack aircraft -8B Harrier II and TAV-8B Harrier, plus several varieties of military transport aircraft and tiltrotor MV-22B Osprey. Attack rotorcraft are also represented by the AH-1Z Viper helicopter and a variety of transport helicopters - light, medium and heavy.

For laying a road among fortifications, American marines use Buffalo MPV, Husky 2G and M1150 Assault Breacher Vehicle demining vehicles, M60 AVLB tank bridge layers. Armored recovery vehicles LAV-R and AAVR-7A1, LAV-L and MTVR are responsible for military logistics. They can suppress enemy positions with 105-mm M101A1 howitzers, the already familiar 155-mm M777A2 howitzers and HIMARS MLRS, 81-mm LAV-M and M252 self-propelled mortars, 120-mm M327 EFSS mortars.

The ILCs can land and perform other combat missions with the help of ACV and AAV-7A1 amphibious assault vehicles, LAV-25 BRM, MRAP Cougar and Oshkosh M-ATV, as well as Oshkosh L-ATV (JLTV) armored vehicles. Against tanks, they use self-propelled ATGM LAV-AT, ATGM FGM-148 Javelin, BGM-71 TOW and FGM-172B SRAW-MPV. From attacks by enemy artillery and from the air, the ILC is covered by mobile air defense systems M1097 Avenger and MANPADS FIM-92A Stinger, electronic warfare vehicles LAV-MEWSS and counter-battery radar AN / TPQ-36 Firefinder.

Of course, the United States will not hand over fifth-generation fighters to Kyiv, yet, but everything else is easy. Obsolete weapons will be transferred to equip the Ukrainian ILC gradually, continuously increasing its ability to conduct mobile warfare. The goal is obvious - a swift landing in the left-bank part of the Kherson region and in the Crimea. A 25-strong Marine Strike Corps with American helicopters, landing craft, artillery and amphibious armor is a threat that would be extremely frivolous and imprudent to underestimate.