war in Ukraine
MGM-140 ATACMS – Joe Biden is considering supplying tactical missiles
This missile is launched from an M270 tracked vehicle.
© U.S. Army
Kiev has been asking for “ATACMS” for over a year, and now US President Joe Biden said for the first time that delivery would be a conceivable option. But what is behind the abbreviation ATACMS and why is the system so important?
US President Joe Biden said a few days ago that the ATACMS are now “in play”, meaning their delivery is being considered after more than a year. The letters stand for “Army Tactical Missile System”. Incidentally, the “S” 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, not a cruise missile. Cruise missiles mostly use a low altitude and move like a small airplane. ATACMS is a “real” rocket, like the original model, the German A4 or also called V2. That means it climbs 50 kilometers and then falls back to earth. Its orbit describes the shape of a parabola. Unlike Wernher von Braun’s German V2, modern ballistic missiles have controls that allow them to hit their target accurately on final approach. The system is about to be decommissioned in the USA, so the delivery should be bearable. Another advantage is that the missiles can be launched from the M142 HIMARS vehicles already in service in Ukraine. Unlike previous rocket launchers, 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 those used by the Himars launchers, which also fire shorter-range missiles, 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-140s, Russian defenses would have to face two very different threats, flat-track missiles and high-angle missiles. Already with the drone attacks in Russia, Kiev is challenging the Russian air defense. These attacks have a PR component, sometimes they also cause damage. But even if all drones are intercepted, they will serve their purpose, forcing Moscow to protect more and more possible targets and approach routes. The Russian air defense can no longer concentrate solely on the war zones in Ukraine. Ballistic missiles would be another challenge. The situation is similar with the Russian attacks on Kiev. Western systems protect the capital effectively, but that also means they are absent near the front lines.
Not every rocket hits
At the same time, this war shows that long-range weapons of all kinds can be intercepted. When these systems were developed, it was virtually impossible to destroy them in the air. Unlike today, it is becoming increasingly difficult to hit and destroy valuable targets, because a good part of the missiles and rockets do not reach the target. So Kiev can’t get enough long-range weapons.
And then the ATACMS has another decisive advantage: it does not need a jet to take off, only a large four-wheel drive truck. The logistical effort for a Himars launcher is much smaller than that caused by a fighter jet. In addition, the starter can be hidden in any larger commercial building and then only has to drive a little on the street. After the missiles 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’s just an improvised runway on a stretch of highway. The locations of the jets are therefore much easier to locate and combat. Russia is currently claiming that four of the planes that Kyiv used to launch Storm Shadow were destroyed on the ground at their base.