Ukraine strikes vital Russian S‑300 defence system with ATACMS
The Ukrainians have confirmed that they have managed to destroy another Russian S-300 air defence system. They used American ATACMS missiles for the attack. We explain the capabilities of this weapon.
According to information published by the Ukrainian military command, the attack occurred on 15th July. The Russian equipment was targeted near Mariupol and then shelled using ATACMS missiles, resulting in damage to the radar station and an unspecified number of launchers that are part of the S-300 system.
ATACMS destroys Russian S-300
The Ukrainians used at least four ATACMS M39 variant missiles in this case.
These solid-fuel ballistic missiles can attack targets up to 160 kilometres away. They use inertial guidance and hundreds of M74 bomblets. There are 950 of them, each weighing 0.6 kilograms and having a blast radius of several feet. They contain an incendiary mixture, often resulting in fires during ATACMS attacks.
It is worth noting that the Ukrainians have also received ATACMS M39A1 variant missiles as part of Western support. These missiles can strike targets up to 300 kilometres away and have satellite navigation. They contain fewer M74 bomblets, as the warhead has been slightly reduced to increase the rocket fuel capacity.
Important Russian air defence system
The destroyed S-300 is a long-range ground-to-air missile air defence system, one of the most common weapons used by the Russians. It originated in the Soviet era (it was put into service in 1978) but has undergone several modernisations.
This Russian system's advantage is that it can effectively manage various targets, including combat aircraft, cruise missiles, and even some tactical ballistic missiles. It uses different types of missiles that can neutralise targets up to 200 kilometres away and move at altitudes over 25 kilometres. After launching, they reach speeds of up to 1,500 metres per second.
