War in Ukraine: US media: Ukraine will soon receive Atacms missiles

Missiles are fired from the ground at targets on the ground and hit with great precision. Ukraine has been demanding the weapons systems for a long time – but so far without success.

09/22/2023| Update: September 22, 2023 – 6:20 pm

Atacms Missiles © Portal

Washington The United States may soon supply Ukraine with longer-range ATACMS missiles, according to consistent US media reports. The US government will soon supply the weapons system requested by Kiev to defend itself in Russia’s war of aggression, the Washington Post and US broadcaster NBC News reported on Friday, citing several sources familiar with the matter. According to the Washington Post, it is a variant of the ATACMS that can be equipped with cluster munitions. NBC News reported that US President Joe Biden promised to provide Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky with “a small number” of ATACMS during his visit to Washington on Thursday.

The US government has not confirmed the reports. “I have nothing to announce,” White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said when asked at Friday’s press briefing. But it has always been clear in the past that ATACS is not out of the question.

Ukraine has long demanded Lockheed Martin ATACMS missiles with ranges of up to 300 kilometers. They are fired from the ground at targets on the ground and hit very accurately. Newer models can be controlled, older ones cannot. Due to their range, they are often compared to the German Taurus marching corps, which Kiev also requires.

Does Germany supply Taurus cruise missiles?

Taurus cruise missiles are suitable for destroying bunkers and protected command posts up to 500 kilometers away.

With both weapons systems there is concern that they could also attack targets in Russia. However, Kiev rejects this as unfounded. In addition to the ATACMS and Taurus, weapons with ranges of hundreds of kilometers also include the Storm Shadow and Scalp cruise missiles, which Kiev received from Britain and France.