more interesting is what UA have done in kherson left bank. if they can hold the position, n can transfer lot of personels n hardware we should see another big teritorial gains in 2024-2025..plus it show how effectives small attack drones to support stand alone unit like UA marines in those areas
What they need to support the left bank is fairly obvious and it's largely contigent on the U.S. passing it's $61 billion usd aid package.
Additional ATACMS: USA has some 350'ish of the older model M39 rocket with 160km range. They have an additional 1200'ish of the M57 rocket with a unitary warhead and 300km range. They produce 500 additional ATACMS each year, most of which are being sold to foreign buyers at this point.
USA could easily send ALL 350 of their older model ATACMS to Ukraine throughout 2024, and replace them with newly built M57 variants fresh off the production line. There would be NO negative impact on USA's own war inventory and they would keep their totals in the 1500'ish ATACMS range range that they're comfortable with. Furthermore, they're set to receive their first batches of the new PrSM rockets in 2024. They are set to replace the ATACMS all together and make them obsolete in U.S. inventories.
Significant Quantites of GLSDB: Ukraine is set to receive their first couple dozen GLSDB and their first 2 launchers in early 2024. It's specualted that they could received up to 12 launchers and as many as 750 of the low cost, 250lb bombs with 150km of range, by the end of 2024. GLSDB will double the range of the GMLRS their HIMARS currently fire, allowing Ukraine a cost effective, plentiful way of striking Russian supplies lines and weakening the supply effort to the troops defending inland from the bank of the Dnipro.
F-16s with JASSM an HARMS: 60'ish F-16s will make their way into Ukrainian hands in 2024, with the first couple squadrons arriving in the first quarter of the year. What will make these F-16s so effective is their ability to fire deadly American made JASSM cruise missiles, which have nearly 1000 kms of range and can be fired from well in the rear, beyond any SAM system that Russia possesses. While Ukraine will not receive large quanties of JASSM (USA has 2000'ish in their inventory and builds about 500 per year), they will receive enough to replace the capability being lost by the dwindling supply of Storm Shadow / SCALP-EG cruise missiles that they possess. Even 100 JASSMs can do an immense amount of strategic damage.
Meanwhile, if Ukraine wants to be able to consistently provide air support to their troops trying to land / push across the Dnipro, they need to significantly thin out Russian SAMs in the area. That's where the HARM anti-radiation missiles comes in. Ukraine is limited in their use of them right now because they've been hastily engineered to be used by Ukraine's Mig-29s. However, they weren't designed to be used by the Migs and they'll have MUCH more effective range being fired by the F-16s, an aircraft they were designed to be fired from. Russia's short / medium range SAMS don't have a chance against HARMs that have a range of 80km when fired from "medium" altitude, and up to 170km when fired from "high" levels. Russia's BUK, Strela-10, OSA and Pantsir SAMs cannot come close to matching even the medium capability of the HARMS and the Russians are not about to start bringing their S-300 and S-400 systems up closer to the front with any kind of regularity, or they'll start getting whacked by Ukraine's ground based, ranged weapons. USA has thousands of HARMS at their disposal and when launched in volleys, particularly in unison with dummy missiles and longer range attack drones, Russian SAMs will become overwhelmed and destroyed. In order for that to be the case, however, you need enough quality launch platforms to carry out planned attacks. That's where the F-16s come in, both in terms of quantity and capability.
Taurus cruise missiles: I suspect that Germany will cave and start supllying Taurus to Ukraine when USA starts supplying JASSM. It will be similar to when Germany refused to send Leopard 2 MBTs, until USA agreed to send Abrams. Regardless, Germany does not have enough Taurus to send massive quanties, but they can likely spare enough to bolster Ukraine's cruise missile supply throughout 2024 and allow them to wreak havoc on supply structures, command and control nerve centers and key Russian military assets on Russian held bank of the Left bank.
Additional large quantities of GMLRS: Earlier in the war, when U.S. funding was flush, Ukraine was receiving hundreds of GMLRS each month and Russia had no meaningful response to the 70+km, ultra precise weapons. As funding has slowly down, however, Ukraine is probably only receiving about 100 GMLRS per month, forcing them to be more choosy regarding targets. USA is not in short supply of GMLRS. They are ramping production of the rocket up from 6000 per year to 14,000 per year. When additional funding is passed by Congress, expect GMLRS to remain a staple of nearly every military aid package for Ukraine. However, expect monthly totals donated to increase substantially again, in that 300+ per month range, that will allow Ukraine to fire them more frequently and rain hell down on the Russian troops at and beyond the front near Kherson.
As Ukainian's access to quantity and variety of ranged weapons increases throughout 2024, it's going to be a nightmare for Russia to reinforce their Kherson front from Crimea. Inevitably, as Ukraine builds up assault forces and sets conditions for a major river crossing, Russia will lose ground in the area.