War in Ukraine
ATACMS: Biden gives Kiev missiles capable of attacking any point in Crimea
Starting an ATACMS.
© US Army
With the ATACMS tactical missiles, Kiev gets a destructive weapon that can attack targets deep in the rear of the front. The big advantage of the ballistic missile is that it is deployed from a truck and does not require a fighter jet to launch.
According to broadcaster ABC, the US President has already agreed to supply Kiev with ATACMS missiles. The timing of when these weapons will be in Ukraine is not yet known. The ground-based system has a range of 300 kilometers and could therefore reach any target in Russian-annexed Crimea. Including the naval port of Sevastopol and Putin’s prestigious bridge.
ATACMS is a tactical ballistic missile
The letters ATACMS stand for “Army Tactical Missile System”. The “S” in the US abbreviations does not stand for the plural, but for the system. “Tactical” is an indication of range. It is below the threshold for a medium-range missile, the deployment of which was until recently excluded from a corresponding agreement. The range of MGM-140 ATACMS is about 300 kilometers. The Russian counterpart would be the Iskander family, but their missiles tend to have a slightly longer range and payload.
The MGM-140 is a ballistic missile and not a cruise missile. Cruise missiles usually fly at a low altitude and move like a small airplane. ATACMS is a “real” rocket, it rises 50 kilometers and then falls back to earth. Its path describes the shape of a parabola. These rockets are controlled so that they can hit their target precisely on final approach. In the USA the system is about to be decommissioned, so delivery is likely to be bearable. Another advantage is that the missiles can be launched from the M142 HIMARS vehicles already in service in Ukraine. Unlike the launchers’ previous rockets, the MGM-140 is four meters long and has a diameter of 610 millimeters. It is started from a box. From the outside, the box resembles the ones with which the HIMARS launchers also fire shorter-range rockets and which are already in Ukraine.
What would the MGM-140 be good for?
With the new weapon, Kiev could attack targets far behind the front lines, thereby hampering Russian supplies. This can also be missiles like the “Storm Shadow”. But with the MGM-140, Russian defense would have to prepare for two very different threats: flat-track missiles and steep-flying missiles.
Not every rocket hits
The war shows that long-range weapons of any kind can be intercepted. When these systems were developed, it was virtually impossible to destroy them in the air. Things are different today: it is becoming increasingly more challenging to hit and destroy valuable targets because a large proportion of missiles and rockets do not reach the target. So Kiev can’t get enough long-range weapons.
Simple logistics
And then the ATACMS has another decisive advantage: it does not require a jet to take off, just a large four-wheel drive truck. The logistical effort for a HIMARS launcher is much smaller than that caused by a fighter jet. The starter can be hidden in any larger commercial building and then only has to travel a short distance on the street. After the rockets are fired, he can hide again. A jet exposes itself much more in the flight phase and can then be attacked by other jets or anti-aircraft missiles. To do this he needs an airfield, even if it is just an improvised runway on a section of motorway. The jets’ locations are therefore much easier to locate and combat.
Heavy warhead
Most missiles are equipped with a cluster munition warhead (WAU-23/B), which releases a cloud of submunitions over the target. Because of the dispersion, the 230-kilogram warhead has a very large lethal radius. A special bunker buster can be used against bunkers.
Accuracy, long range and the destructive effect will give the Russians a hard time. However, the weapon is not unique. The Storm Shadow has roughly comparable range, with a warhead twice as heavy. Their use by Ukraine is important, but it did not decide the war. The central advantage of ATACMS, as mentioned above, is that it is much easier to use from a truck than from a jet.
Moscow doesn’t sleep
The war year of 2023 has shown that the Russian side is not idle either. While Biden has released the ATACMS, Russian bloggers are reporting that the Russian side is said to have succeeded in converting old 1,500 kilogram bombs into controlled gliding bombs with great range and precision using a simple conversion kit. Until now, these sets were only available for 500 kilogram bombs. They are launched by a jet far from the front and then sail on and head for their destination. The appearance of these bombs is a major problem for the Ukrainian armed forces because of their devastating effect on fortified targets. In the Battle of Bakhmut, high-rise buildings converted into fortresses were leveled by them.
When it first appeared, it was reported that the Russian side was working on converting increasingly heavier bombs. 1500 kilogram bombs such as the FAB-1500 M54 have been produced in large numbers since the 1950s. The primitive conversion kit is said to be comparatively very cheap. In addition to the FAB-1500, the Russians also have bombs weighing 3,000 and even 9,000 kilograms in their arsenal.