What is the Army Tactical Missile System, which the US has sent to Ukraine?

“We are also providing Ukraine with new capabilities. I am able to confirm… that in February the President directed his team to provide Ukraine with a significant number of ATACMS missiles for use inside Ukraine’s sovereign territory,” National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on Wednesday.

What are the capabilities of this new system, and what is the significance of its transfer to Ukraine? We explain.

What is the ATACMS system?

According to manufacturer Lockheed Martin, “The 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.”

Its maximum range is 300km. Notably, this is not the first time that the ATACMS system has been delivered, although the earlier systems had much shorter ranges of around 160 km. For instance, in October 2023, the US provided missiles with cluster munitions. When fired, they would open in the air and release hundreds of “bomblets” rather than a single warhead, the Associated Press reported at the time

ATACMS missiles are fired from the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) and Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) M270 platforms, which have the US and the United Kingdom earlier provided to Ukraine.

Why the ATACMS matters, and why it has been sent now

Zelenskyy has mentioned the need for long-range missiles time and again. Thanking the US for the Bill on aid for Ukraine, he posted on X on Wednesday: “Ukraine’s long-range capabilities, artillery, and air defense are critical tools for restoring just peace sooner.”

Sullivan cited Russia’s “renewed and escalating attacks against civilian infrastructure” as the reason why the missile system was sent to Ukraine only now. He said the US had been unable to provide them thus far due to “readiness concerns” and maintaining its own supply of the systems.

It has been reported that the American reluctance to provide these missiles stemmed from a concern that a further deepening of attacks on Russia could possibly escalate the war. However, Sullivan said Ukraine needed them now, following reports that North Korea recently provided ballistic missiles to Russia. These follow a projectile path and have a long range.

North Korean weapons were also referenced the last time the US provided the short-range cluster munitions to Ukraine. Already, Ukraine seems to have deployed the missiles. According to a report from The New York Times, “Overnight Tuesday, Ukraine used the longer-range missiles to strike Russian troops in the port city of Berdiansk on the Sea of Azov.”

Status of the war, funding issues

The Ukraine-Russia war continues to go on, ever since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. In February this year, Russia registered a big victory by capturing the town of Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine. In comparison, Russia’s military forces greatly outnumber Ukraine’s, and Zelenskyy has made regular demands for aid from the US and Europe.

US President Joe Biden has largely supported aid for Ukraine. Following the passage of the aid Bill, which also had provisions for aid to Taiwan and Israel, he said: “It’s going to make America safer, it’s going to make the world safer”.

However, several Republican leaders have opposed more aid for Ukraine, and opposed the Bill for long. The party’s likely presidential candidate, former US president Donald Trump, said in a recent social media post that Europe should increase its contribution. He said: “As everyone agrees, Ukrainian Survival and Strength should be much more important to Europe than to us, but it is also important to us! GET MOVING EUROPE!”