Germany delivers 4600 anti-tank mines, 2450 portable anti-tank guided missiles to Ukraine

Europe, News May 22, 2022 , by IRIA No Comments

Germany has delivered thousands of portable defensive weaponry to Ukraine in the past few weeks which includes anti-tank mines, portable rocket launchers, and anti-tank guided missiles.

According to a German news agency, Berlin sent a new shipment to Ukraine last week containing 1,600 anti-tank mines DM22, 3,000 anti-tank mines DM31, and 2,450 anti-tank portable guided missile systems RGW 90 (MATADOR).

Ukraine has been asking its European allies for military aid and assistance since the Russian invasion began in February 2022. European Union, as well as U.S., Canada, and Australia, have provided the warring state with hefty amounts of aid and assistance.

In a bid to counter Russian land attacks, Ukrainian authorities paid for the rapid production and supply of RGW 90 MATADOR. The order was made to Germany’s Dynamite Nobel Defense (DND) for anti-tank guided missile systems. As for the anti-tank mines, it is more likely that Ukraine received them as donations from Germany.

Delivery of heavy and effective anti-tank weaponry comes to Ukraine only weeks after Ukraine accused Germany of emptying its warehouses of obsolete and retired weapons and delivering them to Ukraine without even the Ukrainians wanting them. Germany donated 35mm SPAAG anti-tank guns to Ukraine for which the Ukrainian military did not have any ammunition. This caused a rift between the two countries, however, Germany made amends by sending recent shipments.

The DM22 and DM31 mines are a part of Germany’s PARM series of German anti-tank mines. Typically developed in the 1980s, the mines have been used in many conflict zones with successful output. According to some unofficial sources, Germany has so far delivered at least 25000 such anti-tank mines to Ukraine.

*^{German PARM DM12 HEAT off-route anti-tank mines. (Image Credit: German Army/Schwere Pionierbataillon 901)}*

MATADOR RGW 90 on the other hand is a 90-mm man-operated disposable anti-armor weapons system jointly developed by Germany, Singapore, and Israeli firms. Singapore’s Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA), Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, and Dynamit Nobel Defence (DND) jointly produced the current variants of RGW 90.

MATADOR is one of the lighter anti-tank guided missile systems. Its warhead is capable of penetrating any type of armored vehicle as well as brick and concrete walls. The weapons release and control backblast, which makes it easier to be operated in confined space. Weighing about 8 kilograms, RGW 90 has a probability of hitting more than 90 percent of NATO’s standard target of 2.3 meters x 2.3 meters.

With the new delivery of weapons arriving from Germany, the Ukrainian military’s counterattack capabilities would significantly improve.