Some ATACMS missiles can hit targets up to 300 kilometers away – This is the case with the new wave of missiles that the United States sent to Ukraine. In its most powerful version, the missile can hit targets at a distance of up to 300 kilometers. They are designed for “deep strikes on enemy forces,” according to the US military, and can be used to attack command and control centers, air defenses and logistics sites outside the front line.
ATACMS can be launched from Earth, From the same HIMAR launchers that Ukraine has already used.
Deploying ATACMS systems with a range of up to 300 kilometers has been a topic of discussion in the Biden administration for months. They were among the last major weapons systems that Kiev wanted and the United States was reluctant to give up. The medium-range ATACMS missiles – 160 km – were supplied last September and used the following month.
The new batch of ATACMS missiles were used for the first time on April 17, against a Russian airfield in Crimea, about 165 kilometers from the Ukrainian front lines. Government officials kept the shipment secret to avoid Russian knowledge.
US President Joe Biden secretly approved the decision to send more than 100 long-range missiles in mid-February, According to the New York Times. The missiles were part of a $300 million arms shipment to Ukraine in March, the country's first new aid package since funding expired at the end of December.
*With Agence France-Presse and Reuters, the report was published on 10/22/2023
