Though Ukraine's long-anticipated counteroffensive failed to achieve the desired goals that many in the West had hoped for and perhaps even expected, Kyiv's forces have succeeded in holding their own against the Russian military – which was touted before the war as being among the most powerful in the world.

As the David vs. Goliath battle continues, Ukraine's David is fighting with far more than a sling. In fact, it could be argued that the embattled country has received some of the very best Western-made combat platforms.

Here are five weapon systems that Ukraine received from NATO in 2023.

Germany's Leopard 2

It was nearly a year ago that Kyiv received a belated Christmas present – namely the news that Germany would allow the Leopard 2 main battle tank (MBT) to be sent to Ukraine. Berlin then stepped up and even provided a significant number of the tanks.

The German-made third-generation 55-ton Leopard 2, which is armed with a 120mm smoothbore main gun, is one of the most well-reputed main battle tanks (MBTs) in service today, although it wasn't really "proven" in combat until the War in Afghanistan and the Syrian Civil War – decades after it first entered service. Developed in the 1970s, the Leopard 2 was adopted by the West German Bundeswehr in 1979 and has been exported to nations around the world.

Though a number of Leopard 2 MBTs have been damaged or destroyed in the fighting, it has been reported that many of the crews have survived while the disabled vehicles have been recovered.

The UK's Challenger 2

The FV4034 Challenger 2 (MoD designation "CR2"), which was designed by Vickers Defence Systems, is a third-generation British MBT that was an extensive upgrade of the earlier Challenger 1. It features a crew of four and its main armament is a L30A1 120-millimetre (4.7 in) rifled tank gun, an improved derivative of the L11 gun used on the Chieftain and Challenger.

The British-made Challenger 2 has a capacity for fifty 120mm projectiles, including armor-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot (APFSDS), high-explosive squash head (HESH), or smoke rounds. The L30 gun can also fire the depleted uranium (DU) round with a stick-charge propellant.

The U.S. M1 Abrams

The United States military's M1 Abrams, considered to be among the best MBTs in service in the world today, was among the items that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said were needed to help turn the tide on the battlefield. The tanks were first pledged last January and began to arrive in Ukraine earlier this year.

The Abrams, which has been in the United States military's arsenal for more than four decades, is considerably different from the Soviet-designed T-72 and other MBTs employed by Ukraine. U.S. military officials had noted that it would take some time for the Ukrainian tank crews to get up to speed on the platform.

The M1 Abrams is expected to play a key role in blunting any Russian assaults this winter and could be employed in a spring offensive.

The U.S. MIM-104 Patriot

The MIM-104 Patriot has been one of the most sophisticated weapons that Washington has provided to Kyiv in 2023. It is capable of countering Russia's ballistic missiles, and unlike other air-defense systems supplied by the West, the Patriot can also strike targets at a much farther distance. U.S. officials have also said it could help secure the airspace and thus protect NATO nations in Eastern Europe.

The Patriot system was developed in the 1970s to counter Soviet missiles. It uses an advanced aerial interceptor missile and high-performance radar systems. The MIM-104 gained prestige during the Persian Gulf War of 1991 with the claimed engagement of over 40 Iraqi Scud missiles. Ukraine has said that employed the Patriot system to shoot down Russian ballistic missiles, including the air-launched Kinzhal.

This month, Japan also pledged to send some of its Patriot missiles to the U.S. to help backfill stocks of air-defense systems for Ukraine. Though Japan's constitution doesn't allow it to ship weapons to countries at war, it can instead supply them to the United States, which will then make the transfer of the air-defense system to Kyiv.

The UK's Storm Shadow

The Storm Shadow, developed as a joint Anglo-French initiative, is a low-observable, long-range, air-launched cruise missile that can strike strategic and military targets from extended stand-off ranges with great precision. It first entered service in 2002 and is currently operated by nearly a dozen nations around the world.

The missile has a range above 250 km (155 miles), still short of the 185-mile range capability of the U.S.-made surface-to-surface Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) that has been requested by Kyiv. The Strom Shadow will still have the range to strike deep into Russian-held territory in Eastern Ukraine. More importantly, as it is air-launched, it will enable Ukrainian pilots to operate further from the frontlines.

In addition, once launched, the Storm Shadow can drop to a low altitude, which allows it to avoid detection by enemy radar before it latches onto its target with an infrared seeker. It is a fire-and-forget system, with its target programmed before launch. However, the missile cannot be controlled in flight, but it can follow a path semi-autonomously guided by GPS and terrain matching to the area of the target.

It has a speed of Mach 0.8, and when it closes on its target, the Storm Shadow climbs to an altitude intended to achieve the best probability of target identification and penetration. The missile's nose cone is jettisoned to allow a high-resolution infrared camera to observe the target area, and to confirm its target – if it cannot ensure confirmation – or if there is a high risk of collateral damage, it will fly to a crash point instead. 

It is believed a Storm Shadow was employed to destroy the Russian Black Sea Fleet's headquarters in Sevastopol earlier this year and may have been used to strike the large landing ship Novocherkass in port.

Author Experience and Expertise

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.

All images are Creative Commons.