Also in recent days, Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelensky has repeated Ukraine’s fundamental request to the West: to supply Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets and ATACMS tactical ballistic missiles. At least the second of these dossiers – the shipment of ATACMS missiles – could be unblocked quickly, and positively for Ukraine: the Wall Street Journal writes that Joe Biden is close to unblocking the shipment of these extremely powerful weapons to Kiev.
But what exactly is it about, from a technical and historical point of view? ATACMS is an acronym that stands for Army Tactical Missile Systema system of inertially guided, all-weather missiles used to strike targets in a particular corps’ area of influence. ATACMS have been used extensively in land warfare in Operation Desert Storm (1991) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (2003), for training operations by joint forces, and special operations forces. Basically, if this step were to take place, Ukraine would have tools similar to those that allowed the Americans to win in the Afghan military operation after 11 September.
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Lockheed Martin has produced about 4 thousand ATACMS in various configurations over the past twenty years. To understand what size (not huge, but deadly) of missiles we are talking about, some of these missiles have been sold to allied nations, which have purchased them for their multiple rocket launch systems. Approximately 600 were dropped by American forces in combat during the Persian Gulf War and Iraq War. Until now, Joe Biden’s caution had also been motivated by the fear of leaving the American reserves, which are not exterminated, more depleted in case of specific war needs.
The system consists of one missile per launch group (missile pod), two missiles for each launcher, in the M270/M270A1 multiple launch system, and one missile in the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System launcher (the famous Himars platforms). . Targets, under US-set rules of engagement, may include enemy air defense artillery sites, surface-to-surface missile units, logistics sites, command and control complexes, and forward operating helicopter bases.
ATACMS have a range of 300 kilometres. From a tactical point of view, it is the most relevant thing in the current developments of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict: It means that all of Crimea, illegally occupied by the Russians, will be within Ukrainian firing range (considered the current frontline).
ATACMS use GPS navigation, can reach an altitude of 160 feet (50 km) and reach targets at speeds above Mach 3. The missile’s trajectory can be modified in flight, to circumvent the risk of interception. They can be launched from both M-270 MRLS platforms and Himars platforms.
The ATACMS modification program converts expired Block I/IA antipersonnel and antimaterial missiles (APAM) into unitary missiles and restores the original 10-year service life. The Unitary Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) configuration includes a Cluster Munitions (CM) compliant warhead. Basically, in the technical specifications the Americans want to say that the ATACMS are configured in such a way as to respect the international conventions on weapons.