There are 2 main types of ATACMS missiles: what each of them is capable of

Ukraine has received permission to strike Russia with American ATACMS missiles. This weapon has several versions that differ not only in the range of destruction.

They were analyzed on the air of 24 Channel by the editor-in-chief of Defense Express Oleg Katkov, noting that there may be a relatively small number of these missiles in the US warehouses. Therefore, Ukraine will most likely not be able to receive many long-range ATACMS.

What types of ATACMS exist and why their effect may not have the expected result

Western media, and later US officials, confirmed that Joe Biden gave Ukraine permission to use ATACMS missiles on Russia. And although there are conflicting statements about which Russian territory can be attacked with American weapons, the very announcement of this permission may have certain consequences. After all, it is better for the enemy to learn about such important decisions directly from the battlefield, and not from publications in the Western press.

In particular, the effect of surprise allowed Ukraine to destroy important Russian facilities and equipment when the US first provided ATACMS. At the same time, the type of missiles that our Defense Forces will now use may remain a “surprise.”It is known that there are two types of ATACMS. The first – with a range of up to 160 kilometers, and it is available only in a cluster version. It was actively used by Ukraine at Russian heliports. They have about 900 attack elements. The second version – cluster missiles up to 300 kilometers. They have 400 attack elements, – noted Oleg Katkov.

There is also another conditional type of ATACMS – with a high-explosive fragmentation unitary warhead. Their range – up to 300 kilometers. As of 2007, according to declassified documents, it was known that there were about 2,000 ATACMS in the US warehouses.

Of course, a lot could have changed since then. In particular, some of the missiles could not be serviced.

“Right now, I would estimate the total number of ATACMS in the US to be between 1,000 and 1,500 units of all types. This means that Ukraine is unlikely to be able to obtain a significant number of these missiles. Formally, Ukraine could at least strike Russian air bases every day so that they could not be used, but the number of missiles will obviously not allow this to be done,” explained the editor-in-chief of Defense Express.

It should be noted that the Kremlin called the lifting of restrictions on strikes on Russia an “escalation” to which the aggressor country would be “forced” to respond. The response, as Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said, would allegedly be “adequate and tangible.”