What to know about ATACMS, the US missiles that are being used by Ukraine in Russia
President Joe Biden's administration has allowed Ukraine to use U.S.-made ATACMS missiles to strike deep into Russia, two U.S. officials and a source familiar with the decision said this weekend, in a significant reversal of Washington's policy in the Ukraine-Russia conflict.
Ukraine used the weapons to strike Russian territory for the first time on Tuesday, Moscow said, in an attack regarded by Russia as a major escalation on the war's 1,000th day.
What are ATACMS Missles?
There are several variants of Army Tactical Missile Systems, a long-range missile system that often carries varying amounts of cluster bomblets.
Ukrainian forces used U.S.-supplied long-range ATACMS missiles for the first time in October 2023, with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy saying the weapons had "proven themselves."
Why did the U.S. authorize their use to strike Russia?
The decision to allow Ukraine to use the weapons to strike deep within Russia comes two months before President-elect Donald Trump takes office on Jan. 20 and follows months of pleas by Zelenskiy to allow Ukraine's military to use U.S. weapons to hit Russian military targets far from its border.
The change comes largely in response to Russia's deployment of North Korean ground troops to supplement its own forces, a development that has caused alarm in Washington and Kyiv, a U.S. official and a source familiar with the decision said.
What is the range and capability?
Ukraine likely has what are known as M39A1 Block IA ATACMS that are guided in part by Global Positioning System and have a range of 70 to 300 km (40 to 190 miles). They can carry a payload of 300 bomblets. The M39 Block IA weapons were used in Operation Iraqi Freedom, according to Army documents, and were added to the U.S. arsenal in 1997.
Ukraine likely also has M57 ATACMS that deliver a single, 500-pound (230-kg) high-explosive warhead at a range of 70 to 300 km (40 to 190 miles). The M57 was first used in 2004 and has been used in several conflicts, including Operation Enduring Freedom, according to Army documents.
How do they compare to other missiles Ukraine has?
France and Britain have provided SCALP and Storm Shadow missiles, but neither government has spelled out whether they would follow the Americans by allowing Ukraine to use Storm Shadow/SCALP cruise missiles, which have a range of 250 km (155 miles), for longer-range, cross-border strikes.
What impact will they have on the war?
With the U.S. permission, Ukraine will now be able to strike targets deep inside Russia, most likely around Russia's Kursk region, where Kyiv forces still hold swaths of the territory and where North Korean troops are reported to be concentrated.
In August, analysts at the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said hundreds of known Russian military objects were in the range of ATACMS.
It is likely, however, that some of the military assets, despite the logistical difficulties, have been moved deeper into Russia in anticipation of the U.S. decision.