US is considering transferring ATACMS missiles with range of up to 290 km to Ukraine – WSJ
The Pentagon is considering the possibility of transferring ATACMS missiles with a range of about 290 km to Ukraine for striking Russian military targets in Crimea, as was reported by The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed sources in the US leadership.
Representatives of the US Defense Department previously insisted that the US should retain long-range ATACMS missiles for its own needs, according to one of the interlocutors. But now the Pentagon is ready to provide them to Ukraine due to progress in acquiring the latest Precision Strike Missile systems.
However, the interlocutor did not specify whether US President Joe Biden has given the go-ahead for the supply of missiles of this modification to Ukraine.
At the same time, a "modest number" of ATACMS missiles with a range of about 160 km, equipped with cluster munitions, were included in the assistance package announced by the US on March 12, according to information from another interlocutor.
On March 12, Politico, citing unnamed officials, reported that the US presidential administration may announce the supply of Ukraine with "a certain number" of ATACMS missiles capable of hitting targets at a distance of 160 km.
REFERENCE. ATACMS – American ground-based ballistic missiles. They can carry both individual warheads and cluster munitions. The launch is carried out from HIMARS installations or high-mobility artillery rocket systems.
In October 2023, it became known that Ukraine received from the US the oldest and basic version of ATACMS with a cluster warhead, which hits a maximum of 165 km. Other modifications with a unitary warhead have a range of up to 300 km, and the experimental version of the PRISM rocket – up to 500 km.
Read also: New US aid package to Ukraine not nearly enough as more is needed before it's too late, says Biden
