Ukraine’s armed forces have begun targeting Russian military objectives using the “Army Tactical Missile System” provided by the United States.
According to recent reports by CCTV, Ukrainian President Zelensky stated on the 17th that the Ukrainian forces had for the first time deployed the US-provided Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) against Russian airport facilities. The White House also confirmed the same day that it had shipped the ATACMS to Ukraine.
This marks the first public mention of this missile’s use in the Russo-Ukrainian conflict. Insiders revealed that a small number of ATACMS missiles had been secretly sent to Ukraine some time ago. On the same day, Russia’s ambassador to the US, Antonov, stated in response to a journalist’s question that the US’s secret provision of the ATACMS to Ukraine was a “grave mistake” which would have “extremely serious consequences.”
Ukrainian Military Uses Long-Range Missiles to Attack Russian Airports
Information released by the Ukrainian military indicates that this operation targeted Russian airbases near Luhansk and Belgorod. These strikes resulted in the destruction of at least 10 Russian Mi-24, Mi-28, and Ka-52 armed helicopters, a munitions depot, and a “Kamov” S2 air defense system. The attacks also caused dozens of Russian casualties. After receiving intelligence that these two airports were being used as the primary bases for Russian aircraft, military equipment, and ammunition in the occupied areas, the Ukrainian forces targeted them. The Russian military has not disclosed the damages from Ukraine’s missile strikes and has not commented on the claims made by the Ukrainian military.
US media had previously reported that the US would provide Ukraine with the longer-ranged ATACMS, which has a maximum range of about 300 kilometers and can target distant strategic objectives, including Russian supply lines, railways, and command posts. This differs significantly from the weapons previously assisted by the Biden administration to Ukraine. The delivery of the ATACMS was kept highly confidential, whereas previously, the US would usually announce such decisions publicly before shipping weapons overseas. Since the start of the Russo-Ukrainian conflict, Ukraine had long sought to obtain the ATACMS, a ground-to-ground missile system that can be launched by the HIMARS mobile rocket launcher, which was first provided by the US last year.
The “Army Tactical Missile System” (ATACMS) is a near-range tactical ballistic missile developed by the US Army beginning in May 1984. It is the fourth generation of tactical ballistic missiles and is currently the only one equipped by the US. This missile can carry a 650-kilogram warhead with a range of 165-300 kilometers. Its peak altitude reaches 50 kilometers (remaining within the atmosphere throughout its flight), and its terminal speed can range from Mach 3 to 5. It was primarily designed to target armored clusters in the depth of local battles, logistic supply lines, ammunition depots, missile positions, artillery positions, and high-value command and communication centers.
In 1986, the US Army’s Missile Department signed a development contract with manufacturers, requesting the missile to be launched using the then-active M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS). Over time, with continuous improvements, the M270’s launch pad evolved into a more refined “integrated missile-rocket” launching device that could launch various rockets and the ATACMS or a mix of both. To launch the ATACMS missile, however, it requires the installation of new stability parameters, position locating systems, and specific application software. The HIMARS mobile rocket system provided by the US to assist Ukraine can also launch the ATACMS missile. Over its development, the ATACMS missile had six different versions forming four series with six different warheads (targeting personnel and light equipment, against hard targets, anti-armor, mine-dispensing, anti-airfield, and nuclear warheads), with its longest range being 300 kilometers.
By the time its production ceased in 2007, over 2,900 ATACMS missiles had been produced, and after various tests and actual combat consumption, about 1,000 remain in stock and are approaching the end of their service life. Also, due to the restrictions of the 2008 Cluster Munitions Convention, after 2018, over 50% of the ATACMS missiles in US inventory with submunition warheads will be forced to cease usage. While some ATACMS missiles have been extended for further service, the current range of active ATACMS missiles is limited, with outdated onboard communication, guidance, and navigation systems. The potential of the ATACMS missile after multiple enhancements has already been exhausted, and it is difficult to fundamentally improve its performance to meet operational requirements using its existing technical framework.
Currently, the range of the ATACMS missiles that the US military is assisting the Ukrainian forces with is not clear. However, considering that the US military aid to the Ukrainian forces has been progressively escalating, both types of tactical missiles with different ranges might be provided to the Ukrainian forces to inflict maximum damage on the Russian forces, thereby boosting the morale of the Ukrainian troops. Yet, after the recent attacks, from the exposed images, the remnants of these warheads appear to belong to the Block I type ATACMS missile equipped with the M74 cluster munition warhead, which can carry 950 M74 anti-personnel/equipment submunitions.
How Significant is the Introduction of the ATACMS Missile to Ukraine?
The ATACMS missile first saw combat in the early 1990s during the Gulf War. During Operation Desert Shield, the US military fired a total of 32 missiles at targets like anti-aircraft radars, armored clusters, and cluster units. Multi-national force aircraft reported no enemy radar activity while flying through corridors opened by ATACMS missile strikes, and A-10 ground-attack aircraft pilots reported that when requesting an attack on a particular anti-aircraft position, the ATACMS could respond within minutes to destroy the target. In one operation, it even destroyed over 200 unprotected vehicles attempting to cross a bridge.
A decade later, in the Iraq War, with technological advances, all branches of the US military had access to multiple integrated information platforms. Command centers could discuss battle plans facing the same battlefield, and fire and effects coordination teams within the command could plan and organize coordinated reconnaissance and firepower strike actions with air force, army aviation, and field artillery. Due to possessing such vast information resources, the use of the ATACMS missile exceeded its level from the Gulf War 12 years prior, with a total of 414 missiles fired.
However, from a current technological perspective, the US’s ATACMS missile isn’t exactly cutting-edge, and even Ukraine’s previously developed “Thunder-2” missile with a range of 500 kilometers is more advanced. However, after briefly appearing at the beginning of the conflict last year, there has been no news of its deployment in actual combat. Also, the “Dot-U” missile was used more frequently at the outbreak of the conflict, but once its stocks were depleted, the Ukrainian forces had to rely on drones and artillery to strike Russian rear facilities. It is evident that Ukraine has a commendable accumulation of tactical missile technology. However, it lacks the production capability to meet the demands for ground-to-ground tactical missiles on the battlefield. Clearly, the US providing missiles to Ukraine now aims to resolve the Ukrainian military’s deficiency in striking the depth of the Russian military.
However, one cannot overlook the fact that whether it’s Ukraine’s previously equipped domestically researched or Soviet-made missiles, or the currently US-assisted ATACMS missile, Russian air defense systems like the S-300 and S-400 have the capability to intercept them. Moreover, looking at the Ukrainian military’s previous missile strike record, aside from sinking several ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet and destroying some ground military facilities, it has not yet completely turned the tide of battle.
More importantly, the US’s ATACMS missile is no longer in production, and the US military’s inventory is only around 1,000. Furthermore, the US military’s focus has shifted to the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM), which is still in its design phase. In other words, each use of the tactical missile now reduces the US military’s stock by one. In the long run, introducing the ATACMS missile to Ukraine seems more like a means to provide the country with a new method to delay Russian military actions. However, using this kind of missile to fundamentally change the battlefield situation seems nearly impossible, and it is unlikely to be a “game-changer” in the Russo-Ukrainian battlefield.