Ukrainian strike on Crimean airbase intensifies pressure on Russia

For months, Ukrainians have been attacking Russian airfields with MGM-140 ATACMS ballistic missiles or drones to degrade the Russian capability for attacking ground targets with guided bombs from the FAB family. The secondary targets are medium-range anti-aircraft systems like the S-300 or S-400.

The Saki airbase, like Dzhankoy, is one of the key locations from which Russians can conduct air strikes on Ukrainian territory. These locations had already been targeted, but evidently, there were justified targets on the night of 24-25 July, warranting another strike.

According to the portal Militarnyj, AGM-140 ATACMS missiles hit the airbase and the area around the village of Shturvkovski, where a radar of the anti-aircraft system was reportedly struck. Meanwhile, regarding the airbase, at least an ammunition depot was hit, and two soldiers died. The losses could be higher, but without satellite imagery, it's impossible to assess the scale of the damage.

Before the attack, 16 aeroplanes were reportedly stationed at the airbase, although the pilots might have evacuated them. It is worth noting that in the case of ballistic missiles, the time from launch to impact over 300 kilometres is a matter of minutes.

MGM-140 ATACMS ballistic missiles were introduced in the US Army in the 1990s. Depending on the version, they have a range of about 166 or 300 kilometres.

Ukraine has mainly used M39 missiles with a range of 166 kilometres or M39A1 rockets with a range of 300 kilometres equipped with cluster warheads. The first contained a payload of 950 M74 APAM bomblets, while the second 300 bomblets were at the cost of a more significant fuel reserve.

Both missiles are known for their similar guidance systems, with the M39 using less precise inertial navigation and the M39A1 supplemented with a GPS module, offering greater precision. It's worth noting that Russians have learned to jam GPS signals. Still, in the case of the ATACMS, especially the cluster variant, a deviation of a few tens of metres is not as significant a problem as it is with artillery shells.

The primary hit mechanism of the cluster variants of MGM-140 ATACMS missiles is M74 APAM bomblets, which resemble balls weighing 0.6 kilograms and having a diameter of 5 centimetres. Their casing is made of tungsten, which, upon explosion, generates fragments capable of penetrating bulletproof vests. In addition to the explosive material, there is also an incendiary material inside the casing, which, when dispersed during the explosion, is intended to cause fires.

As a result, practically nothing is left intact in the impact area, and safe shelter can only be found inside an armoured vehicle. The defence against these missiles, capable of flying at Mach 3 (3,700 kilometres per hour), is tough, and even the best Russian anti-aircraft systems, S-400 Triumph, can't cope with them.