Atacms, all about the Lockheed Martin missiles sent by Biden to Zelensky
For the first time, Zelensky announces that he has received and launched US long-range missiles. The Biden administration had previously refused to supply Atacms to Ukraine, but reportedly decided to send them quietly “in recent weeks”. Facts and insights
For the first time, Ukraine is using Atacms, US long-range missiles, on the battlefield.
“The Atacms have proven themselves effective,” Ukrainian President Vlodomir Zelensky announced yesterday.
Ukraine already has long-range missiles: the Storm Shadow, supplied by the British, with a range of 250 km. However, Kiev has long asked its American allies for Atacms missiles, which have a range of 300 km. As early as the fall of 2022, Ukrainian officials were pushing for the delivery of the army's tactical missile systems. So far the United States has not provided Ukraine with the tactical rocket fearing an escalation. With these missiles, the Ukrainians would theoretically have the ability to hit major Russian urban centers and military bases.
But "in recent weeks" the Biden administration apparently decided to send them quietly, the CNN broadcaster reported, citing two US officials.
“Unlike other security aid sent to Ukraine, these weapons were not publicly announced before arriving and being used. “If announced, Russian forces would have been able to keep their positions out of missile range,” a Pentagon official who requested anonymity told Defense News.
Due to concerns about tensions with Russia, the missiles supplied to Ukraine have a lower range than the maximum range of which the system is capable, the Associated Press points out. “The supplies of US ATACMS missiles to Ukraine will not change the situation at the front. Russian President Vladimir Putin declared this today.
All the details.
THE CHARACTERISTICS OF ATACMS
Atacms is a long-range guided missile that gives operational commanders the immediate firepower to win the deep battle, manufacturer Lockheed Martin explains on its site . Each Atacms missile is packaged in a MLRS-like launch pod and is fired from the MLRS family of launchers.
The missile was developed in the 1980s to destroy high-value Soviet targets deep behind enemy lines, the New York Times explained last year.
Because Atacms is the U.S. Army's longest-range surface firearm, it is traditionally used in missions approved by three-star generals for the highest priority targets on a battlefield. Lower-ranking officers can fire guided rockets as needed in combat, the Times added.
IN TWO VERSIONS
Today the Pentagon has two versions of the ATACMS: the cluster weapon and one that carries a single explosive charge.
BIDEN'S HEALTH ABOUT THE SUPPLY OF THIS MISSILE
As Defense News recalls, “perhaps no system has required more no before arriving at a yes than Atacms, which was initially denied due to concerns about the escalation of the war with Russia.” President Joe Biden reportedly promised to send weapons to Zelensky last month, during a visit to Washington by the Ukrainian president .
Biden ultimately gave in. Ukrainian forces used newly supplied long-range American missiles against Russia for the first time on Tuesday, after President Biden overcame his long-standing reluctance to supply the weapons by allowing the Pentagon to covertly deliver them in recent days , American officials said, quoted by the New York Times.
THE VERSION SENT TO KIEV
According to the official, the supplied Atacms have a range of just under 200 km, shorter than other versions of the system, which can hit targets up to 300 km away. The variant delivered to Kiev carries cluster munitions that release hundreds of small bombs from the air rather than a single warhead, AP reported.
The funding for ATACMS is part of the latest assistance package sent to Ukraine, totaling $200 million, the Pentagon official revealed.
THE CONSEQUENCES
Having used them on the battlefield, the Ukrainians are now hoping that the Atacms will help them boost their efforts to breach Russian defensive lines as the counter-offensive is currently struggling.
It is unclear how much difference the missile system will make on the battlefield. Other Western-supplied weapons, including tanks, provided only a marginal advantage. And the version of the missile sent by the United States, the latest large system requested by Kiev from Washington, has a limited range, the American newspaper further underlines.
However, officials said they could reach almost all major bases that Russia has used for air support and resupply of its troops in Ukraine. One of the conditions imposed on the Ukrainians is not to use the Atacms to attack inside Russian territory, a defense official told the NYT .
PUTIN'S REACTION
Moscow's reaction was not long in coming.
Washington's decision to supply Ukraine with long-range ATACMS missiles is "a serious mistake" that will have "very serious consequences", said the Russian ambassador to the United States, Anatoly Antonov. “The consequences of this measure, deliberately hidden from public opinion, will be very serious,” Antonov concluded.
However, "the supplies of US ATACMS missiles to Ukraine will not change the situation at the front", assured the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, during a press conference following bilateral talks with the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, in Beijing . According to Putin, sending these weapons "will have no result", and "will only prolong the agony for Ukraine". Furthermore, the head of the Kremlin declared that the United States is "increasingly involved" in the conflict between Moscow and Kiev.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/smartcity/atacms-biden-ha-inviato-i-missili-a-lungo-raggio-americani-ucraina/ on Thu, 19 Oct 2023 06:07:50 +0000.