Atacms, here are the long-range missiles Zelensky asked Biden
Kiev calls for Atacms long-range missiles to attack Russia. So far the US has not supplied Ukraine with the Atacms (Army Tactical Missile System) rocket, which has a range of 300 km, fearing an escalation. Facts and insights
The air alert does not subside across Ukraine.
This was stated by the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, commenting on the explosions that took place this morning in several cities of the country. So Kiev continues to ask American allies for Atacms long-range missiles. The new rockets would also allow Ukraine to strike deeper into Crimea to target Russian Iranian drone launch points, which it currently cannot do, CNN explained.
So far the US has not supplied Ukraine with the Atacms (Army Tactical Missile System) rocket, which has a range of 300 km.
If the United States provided Atacms to Ukrainians, they would theoretically have the ability to strike major Russian urban centers and military bases.
As the New York Times points out, the White House fears that Ukraine could use the long-range missile to hit targets deep within Russia and that Russian President Putin could respond by escalating the war, possibly by invading a country close to NATO. There is also concern within the Biden administration that supplying long-range ATACMS weapons would cross a red line in Moscow's eyes, which would see the United States becoming "a direct party to the conflict."
THE NEW PACKAGE FROM WASHINGTON
Last week, the US president confirmed that the US will send a new package of military aid to Ukraine, worth a total of $ 625 million, which includes new Himars missile systems, ammunition and armored vehicles.
The new military aid brings the total value of US assistance to Ukraine to $ 17.5 billion during the Biden administration alone.
HIMARS SYSTEMS, AMMUNITION AND TACTICAL VEHICLES
So Washington is supplying the M142 Himars , a more updated, lighter and more agile version of the truck-mounted M270 Mlrs developed in the 1970s for the USA and now also supplied to European allies, such as Poland and Romania. Himars systems carry a pre-loaded capsule with six missiles (as opposed to two in the previous version) or a larger one loaded with tactical missile systems (Atacms) with a range of 300 km. So far the Pentagon has not sent the latter to Kiev: the ATACMS have in fact the ability to hit urban centers and military bases in Russia, including the airports from where the raids against Ukraine depart.
WHAT IS THE ATACMS MISSILE PRODUCED BY LOCKHEED MARTIN
Atacms is a long-range guided missile that gives operational commanders the instant firepower to win the deep battle, manufacturer Lockheed Martin explains on its website . Each Atacms missile is packaged in an Mlrs-like launch pod and is fired by 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 explains.
Since Atacms is the US Army's longest-range surface firearm, it is traditionally used in three-star general-approved missions for top priority targets on a battlefield. Lower-ranking officers can fire guided rockets as needed in combat, the Times adds.
IN TWO VERSIONS
Today the Pentagon has two versions of the Atacms in its inventory: the cluster weapon and one that carries a single explosive charge.
USED IN DESERT STORM
The United States has already used them in combat. The Times also recalls that the US military fired about 30 Atacms in 1991 during Operation Desert Storm, according to government records. In that case, they hit Iraq's medium-range ballistic missile launchers and surface-to-air missile sites.
LOCKHEED MARTIN WORKING ON HIS SUBSTITUTE
Atacms is also the oldest surface-launched missile in the army currently in service. A prototype of its replacement called the Precision Strike Missile (Prsm) is being tested at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.
“The PrSM responds to the US Army's request to develop long-range vector usable by existing assets such as the MLRS (Multiple Launch Rocket System) M270A1 and the HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System) M142” explainsAresDifesa . "The" inaugural "launch was carried out in December 2019. According to the requests of the US Army, the missile will have to replace the ATACMS and offer a rate of fire twice as high, more than 400 km of range with ballistic trajectory, maintain accuracy even in environments without GPS, be based on an open architecture that is resistant to cyber attacks ”, emphasizes the newspaper.
WHY KIEV WANTS ATACMS MISSILES
A Lockheed Martin spokesperson said the company has built 60,000 GMLRS and 4,000 Atacms to date, some of which have been sold to foreign allies. A senior defense official told the New York Times that the US can more easily break away from cheaper guided rockets, as the Pentagon's tactical missiles are all reserved for top-secret war plans in places like the Korean Peninsula. “Compared to the GMLRS, the version of Atacms that Ukraine wants carries an explosive warhead that is about 50% larger and can hit targets more than three times further away. However, the missile is much larger, about 13 feet long and 2 feet wide, and weighs about 3,000 pounds. As a result, a mobile launcher like the Himars M142 can carry six guided rockets but only one tactical missile at a time, ”concludes the Times .
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/innovazione/atacms-ecco-i-missili-a-lungo-raggio-chiesti-da-zelensky-a-biden/ on Mon, 10 Oct 2022 10:06:15 +0000.