Atacms missiles: range, effects, costs of the weapon demanded by Ukraine to counter Russia
Manufactured by Lockeed Martin, they are launched from a self-propelled aircraft. They are supplied to several NATO countries, South Korea and Australia
2' min read
2' min read
The Mgm-140 Army Tactical Missile System missiles, better known by the acronym Atacms, are short-range tactical ballistic missiles (acronym Srbm) with a maximum range of 300 km. They are weapons of not very recent conception: the first models in fact entered service during Operation Desert Storm in 1991, the air campaign of the Gulf War launched by the United States to bring down the Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein, while the design of this weapon began in the early 1980s.
Ukraine had repeatedly asked for the green light to use missiles with a range long enough to hit strategic targets on Russian territory, but the green light had never come until a few days ago, when after yet another indiscriminate and extremely heavy Russian bombing, the Biden administration gave the OK to Kiev.
They are 'surface-to-surface' missiles, thus launched from the ground and aimed at ground targets. The propulsion system is solid fuel, and guidance can be ballistic, in which case the missile is directed at the target simply by calculating inclination and range like a common cannonball, or by Gps, exploiting geostationary positioning satellites. The weapon is 4 metres long and varies in weight from around 1,300 kg to over 1,660 kg depending on the version. The warhead can carry either fragmentation ordnance, capable of hitting 'soft' targets such as living beings in a relatively large area, or a single ordnance capable of doing more damage in a smaller area.
Himars or Mlrs M270 self-propelled missiles are used for launching; each self-propelled aircraft can carry a single Atacms. The company that currently produces them is Lockeed Martin, while the cluster of companies that originally designed them is Ling-Temco-Vought. The cost per unit varies, depending on the type, from over $800,000 to over $1,700,000. Atacms are not supplied to the Italian Army, but other NATO states have them in their arsenals, as do the United Arab Emirates, South Korea and Australia.
The US had already supplied Ukraine with this type of missile, but without the green light for long-range use and, moreover, with a shorter range than the maximum range. Despite the limitations, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky himself had emphasised their effectiveness on the ground about a year ago. (s.m. and f.s.).
