Chip shortages cuts Russian hypersonic rocket production

 Business Insider:

Russia is struggling to keep up its weaponry as sanctions have made it increasingly difficult for the country to acquire microchips that power some of its equipment, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal told Politico.

According to Shmyhal, Ukraine estimates Russia has already used up half of its arsenal and is down to four dozen hypersonic missiles. Shmyhal said it doesn't look like the country will be able to restock that supply without the microchips that make the missiles accurate.

"Because of sanctions imposed on Russia, the deliveries of this high-tech microchip equipment ... have stopped and they have no way of replenishing these stocks," Shmyhal told Politico.

Instead, they're using older and less sophisticated equipment to try to preserve the high-tech pieces, Diederik Cops, a senior researcher in arms exports and trade at the Flemish Peace Institute, told Politico.

"More and more 'dumb' rockets are being found in Ukraine, demonstrating how Russia is battling supply chain shortages," Cops said.

A "shopping list" of technology Russia is looking to secure obtained by Politico shows the country's desperate need for microchips, most of which are made by US companies, including AirBorn, Intel, and Texas Instruments.

The country has even resorted to ripping microchips from dishwashers and fridges for military use, US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said in May.

Russia's reliance on western products is hampering its military operations.  It demonstrates how the country has failed to develop its own technology since the fall of the Soviet Union.  It is not the only failure of the Russian military operation.  Its armed forces have been plagued by faulty equipment and poor leadership.