ATACMS MISSILES -
DEFENCE AND SECURITY
News: The US quietly shipped
long-range ATACMS missiles to Ukraine
What's in the news?
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The United
States recently confirmed providing long-range Army Tactical Missile
Systems (ATACMS) to Ukraine to aid its war effort against Russia.
Army Tactical Missile
Systems (ATACMS):
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ATACMS 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.
Manufactured by - the US defense company Lockheed Martin.
Backdrop:
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It is also designated M39 by the US Army, and its
Department of Defence (DoD) designation is MGM-140.
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The missile first saw use during the 1991 Persian Gulf War.
Weapon's Known Operators
other than the US:
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Bahrain, Greece, South Korea, Taiwan, and the
United Arab Emirates.
Features:
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ATACMS are 24/7,
all-weather, surface-to-surface, inertially guided ballistic missiles.
Launchpads:
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ATACMS missiles are fired from the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System
(HIMARS) and the M270 Multiple
Launch Rocket System (MLRS) platforms.
○
The MLRS can fire 12 surface-to-surface missiles in
less than a minute.
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It has the ability to carry cluster munitions,
which destroy a targeted area by releasing hundreds of bomblets instead of a
single warhead.
Range - 190 miles (305 km).
Propulsion - Single-stage, solid propellant.
Targets:
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Targets include air defense artillery sites,
surface-to-surface missile units, logistics sites, command and control
complexes, and helicopter forward operating bases.