Since the fall of 2023, the United States has delivered dozens of MGM-140 ATACMS missiles to Ukraine. If they were intended to strike only Russian targets on Ukrainian territory, kyiv has just received authorization to fire them across the border. Here is everything you need to know about this weapon.
Towards an escalation of the conflict? On Sunday, November 17, the United States authorized the Ukrainian armed forces to fire MGM 140 ATACMS missiles (for Army TActical Missile System) deep into Russian territory. A significant turnaround, since the American General Staff had until now confined their use against targets located in Ukraine.
American-made and built by the famous Lockheed-Martin firm, these missiles were designed in the 1980s. 4 meters long and with a diameter of approximately 61 centimeters, these projectiles fly at more than 3,500 km/h and can hit, for the most modern versions, targets 300 kilometers from their starting point with a precision of 25 meters.
Devastating missiles
Each MGM 140 ATACMS can carry hundreds of submunitions which generate destructive fragments within a radius of 15 meters around the point of impact or an explosive charge of nearly 200 kg. Finally, these missiles can be launched by a HIMARS rocket launcher truck, delivered to Ukraine for two years.
A reliable and precise weapon which has already proven itself in combat: during the invasion of Iraq in 2003, the United States fired more than 450. These missiles have not been produced since 2007 and are in the process of being replacement by the “Precision Strike Missile” since December 2023.
Ukrainian capabilities increased tenfold
Russia's invasion of Ukraine brought this weaponry to the forefront. In the fall of 2023, the United States supplied kyiv with dozens of MGM 140 ATACMS missiles and on June 24, 2024, the Ukrainians struck Crimea for the first time, arousing the ire of Moscow.
On Sunday, November 17, the American General Staff decided to accelerate deliveries of these missiles to Ukraine by drawing on these stocks and authorizing kyiv to fire them on Russian territory. If the chairman of the defense committee of the lower house of the Russian parliament, Andreï Kartapolov, downplayed this announcement, the Ukrainian president was pleased to see the long-range capabilities of his army increased tenfold.
It remains to be seen whether this will be enough to help the Ukrainians turn the tide of the conflict. More than 10,000 North Korean soldiers are currently deployed on the front and the return of Donald Trump, who has continued to criticize the arms deliveries made by the Biden administration to Ukraine, at the head of the United States , do not encourage optimism in kyiv.
