What is Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS)?

April 29, 2024

The United States recently confirmed providing long-range Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) to Ukraine to aid its war effort against Russia.

About Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS):

It is a conventional surface-to-surface artillery weapon system capable of striking targets well beyond the range of existing Army cannons, rockets and other missiles.
It is manufactured by the US defense company Lockheed Martin.
It is also designated M39 by the US Army, and its Department of Defence (DoD) designation isMGM-140. It first saw use during the 1991 Persian Gulf War.
It’s known operators other than the US are Bahrain, Greece, South Korea, Taiwan, and the United Arab Emirates.
Features:
- It is 24/7, all-weather, surface-to-surface, inertially guided ballistic missile.
- It is single-stage, solid propellant with a range of about 190 miles (305 km).
- They are fired from the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) and the M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) The MLRS can fire 12 surface-to-surface missiles in less than a minute.
- It has the ability to carry cluster munitions, which destroy a targeted area by releasing hundreds of bomblets instead of a single warhead.