The American newspaper "The New York Times" in [...] Eric Schmitt's article "U.S. Secretly Shipped New Long-Range Missiles to Ukraine" ("The United States secretly supplied Ukraine with new long-range missiles") reported that Ukraine, in conditions of secrecy, has already received American ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile System) extended-range operational and tactical missiles (more than 300 km), that is, in versions M39A1, or M48, or M57. According to a senior US official, in mid-February 2024, US President Joe Biden secretly approved the decision to send more than 100 longer-range ATACMS missiles to Ukraine, as well as an even larger number of shorter-range ATACMS missiles (up to 165 km) with cluster warheads (that is, the old M39 Block I variant). ATACMS missiles were tacitly included in the $300 million package of military assistance to Ukraine, which the US president approved on March 12.
Firing of the Lockheed Martin M57 (MGM-168A) ATACMS tactical missile from the M142 combat vehicle of the HIMARS missile complex of the US Army at the White Sands training ground, 07/10/2015 (c) the US Army
The article says that key members of the US Congress were then notified by the administration that the secret supply of ATACMS missiles was included in this package of military assistance to Ukraine, but representatives of the Biden administration made no public mention that any type of ATACMS was transferred to Ukraine.
According to American official sources quoted in the publication, for the first time ATACMS extended-range missiles were used by the armed forces of Ukraine in a strike on Dzhankoy airfield in Crimea on the night of April 17, 2024, and then in a strike on Russian troops in Berdyansk on the night of April 23.
Also, ATACMS extended-range missiles are included in the planned arms supplies to Ukraine within the framework of the recently passed law by Congress on financing assistance to Ukraine in the amount of $ 61 billion.
From the bmpd side, we point out that, as previously reported, in September 2023, the United States had already transferred to Ukraine, under conditions of secrecy, a small number (estimated to 20) of shorter-range ATACMS M39 Block I missiles (up to 165 km) with cluster warheads, which were used by the Armed Forces of Ukraine to strike airfields of the Russian army aviation in Lugansk and Berdyansk on October 17, 2023.
It is also widely believed among observers that even earlier, a small number of ATACMS missiles secretly delivered, and in long-range performance and with monoblock warheads (i.e. M48 or M57), were used by the Armed Forces of Ukraine in an attack on the airfield of the Black Sea Fleet aviation Saki on August 9, 2022.
Recall that ATACMS tactical missiles were manufactured by Lockheed Martin Corporation (and initially, until 1996, Ling-Temco-Vought) in the following versions:
The M39 Block I (MGM-140A) is a variant with an inertial guidance system and an official firing range of 100 land miles (165 km), mass-produced from 1988 to 1997. With a mass of 1667 kg, the missile has a 591 kg cluster warhead with 950 cumulative M74 ARAM fragmentation ammunition (weighing 0.59 kg each).
The M39A1 Block IA (MGM-140B) is a variant with an inertial satellite guidance system and an official firing range of 190 land miles (305 km), mass-produced from 1997 to 2003. With a mass of 1318 kg, the missile has a 174 kg cluster warhead with 300 M74 ARAM cumulative fragmentation ammunition (weighing 0.59 kg each).
The M48 (MGM-140E, ATACMS QRU) is a variant with an inertial satellite guidance system and an official firing range of 190 land miles (305 km), mass-produced from 2001 to 2004. The missile has a monoblock high-explosive fragmentation warhead WDU-18/B (WAU-23/B) weighing 214 kg (from the Harpoon anti-ship missile).
The M57 Block IVA Unit (MGM-168A) is an improved version with an inertial satellite guidance system and an official firing range of 190 land miles (305 km), mass-produced for the US Army from 2004 to 2013, after which production is being exported. The missile also has a monoblock high-explosive fragmentation warhead WDU-18/B weighing 214 kg, but is equipped with a multi-mode fuse.
The M57E1 (ATACMS MOD) is an option implemented since 2017 for converting the M39 and M39A1 missiles into an analogue of the M57 missiles, with an inertial satellite guidance system, an official firing range of 190 land miles (305 km) and a monoblock high-explosive fragmentation warhead WDU-18/B weighing 214 kg.
It should be noted that although the official firing range of ATACMS missiles in the M39A1, M48 and M57 variants is declared 190 land miles (305 km), however, there is a widespread opinion that the actual maximum firing range of these missile variants can reach 400-450 km.
