Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS)

Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) Latest News

Ukraine’s military recently said that it had struck military targets inside Russia using US-supplied ATACMS missiles, calling the operation a “significant development.

About Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS)

• It is a series of surface-to-surface ballistic missiles developed in the United States. 
• It is manufactured by the US defense company Lockheed Martin.
• ATACMS was first developed by the U.S. in the 1980s to rival the former Soviet Union’s long-range artillery and missile systems. 
• It is also designated M39 by the US Army, and its Department of Defence (DoD) designation is MGM-140.
• The missile first saw use during the 1991 Persian Gulf War.
• This weapon’s known operators other than the US are Bahrain, Greece, South Korea, Taiwan, and the United Arab Emirates.

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Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) Features

• ATACMS are 24/7, all-weather, surface-to-surface, inertially guided ballistic missiles.
• Range: It has a range of about 190 miles (305 km).
• Propulsion: Single-stage, solid propellant.
• These missiles are fired from either the tracked M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) or the wheeled M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS). 
• Each one costs around $1.5m (£1.2m).
• They can be configured to carry two different types of warhead. 
  • The first is a cluster fitted with hundreds of bomblets designed to destroy lighter-armoured units over a wide area. 
  • The second type is a single warhead, a 225 kg high explosive variant of which is designed to destroy hardened facilities and larger structures.
• ATACMS missiles travel at high altitudes before descending at immense speeds, making them difficult to intercept.

Source: FP