Carried on a fighter plane or a bomber, this cruise missile can carry a payload of 450 kilos, and can, in its most advanced version, reach targets 800 kilometers away.
Volodymyr Zelensky has been calling for them for a long time. Long-range missiles are essential for Ukraine to strike deep into a tireless enemy that is continuing its offensive in eastern Ukraine with very heavy logistical means.
After the American ATACMS, the British Storm Shadow or the French Scalp, the United States could soon make official, according to Reuters, the delivery of a new type of missile, the JASSM. According to the confidence of three American officials who spoke to the press agency under the condition of anonymity, the announcement should indeed be made this fall. On the other hand, it would be necessary to wait several more months before the precious weapons are delivered. This information has however not been officially confirmed.
With a range of 370 to 800 kilometers depending on the model, these missiles would in any case be a serious asset for the Ukrainian forces. Launched from the border areas, the missiles could thus hit airfields, ammunition depots or other military installations in Voronezh as well as in Briansk but also, in the south from the front line, the naval bases of Crimea. However, Washington will have to specify the framework in which kyiv could use them to strike Russian territory, as Ukraine’s allies impose restrictions on the use of their arsenal to avoid a dangerous escalation.
Stealthy
Manufactured by Lockheed Martin, each JASSM carries a 1,000-pound explosive charge, but unlike the Storm Shadow and Scalp missiles, it is not explicitly designed to penetrate hardened bunkers. The latest versions cost about $1 million each.
One of the missile’s strengths is its stealth. With a length of four meters, they were designed to evade radar surveillance, particularly by flying at very low altitude. They can also take alternative routes to avoid air defenses.
“They don’t have maximum stealth”George William Herbert of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in California told Reuters. But in Syria, “A number of these missiles were fired at government forces after chemical weapons incidents, and Russian air defense systems in the country failed to shoot down many, if any, of them.”.
F-16n Mig ou Soukhoï ?
JASSMs also have great accuracy. When they get close to their target, the missiles can be directed by infrared imaging sensors to an impact point with a margin of about three meters. For the most recent models, the specialist also specified, on-board technologies make it possible to resist electronic jamming.
Finally, the missile is fired from the air. Until now, it has only been fired by American-designed aircraft. Ukraine could thus use the F-16s delivered by the United States, which can carry two cruise missiles each.
One of the sources told Reuters that there were plans to make the missiles compatible with non-Western fighter jets, without specifying whether they were the Soviet-made MiG-29s, Su-24s or Su-27s that Ukraine has.
