Ukraine strikes deep: ATACMS missiles challenge Russian defenses
After obtaining permission to use MGM-140 ATACMS ballistic missiles to attack targets in Russia, Ukrainians are already taking action. The initial results are evident, but they may not last long.
The Ukrainians conducted an attack on the 67th GRAU arsenal located in the Bryansk region of Russia. The Russians claimed they shot down five of the six missiles launched, and the losses were minimal; however, the explosions and large fire at the storage site suggested otherwise.
Meanwhile, Reuters, citing information from a US official, claims that the Russians shot down only two of the eight ballistic missiles launched. Considering previous reports, ATACMS have even engaged in battles with S-400 Triumph anti-aircraft systems, making this the most likely scenario.
The biggest problem for the Ukrainians may simply be the availability of sufficient missiles. As Forbes reports, fewer than 50 may have reached Ukraine, mostly versions from the 1990s. If the effectiveness of the strikes is to be maintained, Ukraine must receive several dozen more missiles in the coming months.
MGM-140 ATACMS — A weapon that's a nightmare for the Russians
In the latest attack, the Ukrainians used MGM-140 ATACMS M39 missiles, the first variant from the 1990s with a range of up to 160 kilometres, equipped only with less precise inertial navigation rather than satellite guidance. The lesser precision was intended to be offset by a large warhead containing 950 M74 APAM bomblets.
Over time, variants of missiles with an increased range of up to 300 kilometres and improved precision were developed thanks to the addition of satellite navigation, but at the cost of a smaller warhead. For comparison, the M39A1 variant contains 300 M74 APAM bomblets. There is also a missile variant with a standard high-explosive fragmentation warhead, known as "unitary".
The M74 APAM bomblets themselves are spherical, weighing about 0.5 kilograms and with a diameter of approximately 5 centimetres, and their lethal effectiveness reaches several metres. Inside their tungsten casing is a mixture of explosives and incendiary substances with a simple impact fuse. This composition means that in addition to creating a shower of fragments capable of penetrating even bulletproof vests, it is also possible to start a fire in the strike zone.
The most important feature of the MGM-140 ATACMS ballistic missiles is their flight speed reaching Mach 3, about 3,700 kph, allowing them to cover hundreds of kilometres in minutes. This gives the enemy's air defense little time to react, and importantly, shooting down ballistic missiles requires fairly scarce medium-range anti-aircraft systems.
These are always in short supply, and choices have to be made about which regions to protect at the expense of others. Until now, Ukraine faced such dilemmas, but now, thanks to ATACMS, so does Russia.
