The ATACMS could be a game changer in Ukraine #atacms #StormShadow #russiaukrainewar #MASA #militar

The U.S. appears to be inching closer to providing Ukraine with the long-range strike weapons that experts say could be a game changer as it seeks to step up its counteroffensive and retake more occupied territory from Russia.

President Biden signaled his openness to sending Ukraine the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) on July 12, following the completion of a two-day summit of NATO leaders in the Baltic state of Lithuania.

But Biden emphasized that Ukraine already has the equivalent of ATACMS now, the Storm Shadow cruise missiles.

** The ATACMS could be a game changer in Ukraine

The Pentagon has so far resisted pressure to supply Ukraine with the ATACMS, which has a range of about 190 miles and could be used to strike Russian targets far beyond the front lines, which includes Crimea.

The ATACMS offered an advantage over the U.K.'s Storm Shadow and French SCALP missiles with a range of 155 miles. Whereas Storm Shadow and SCALP missiles are long-range, air-launched cruise missiles, ATACMS are surface-to-surface systems with some ability to maneuver during flight. The ATACMS are faster, able to reach targets around 155 miles away in around five minutes, rather than the Storm Shadow and SCALP's travel time of 15 minutes.

** The Storm Shadow continues to attack the strategic nodes of the Russian army

After the British helped with the Storm Shadow cruise missile, the Ukrainian army used it more and more frequently to attack strategic nodes and military bases behind the Russian army. After the Chonhar road bridge was successfully hit by the Storm Shadow on June 22, the Primorsko-Akhtarsk military airfield in the Primorsky region of Russia was also hit by the Storm Shadow on July 2. This base is 124 to 186 miles away from the Ukrainian front line. It is the residence of the Russian 960th Assault Aviation Regiment and deploys two squadrons of Su-25 attack aircraft.

Russian air defenses have a low success rate in intercepting Storm Shadow, and the missile has become a serious problem for the Russian army. Although the Ukrainian army first used Storm Shadow, Russia also said it intercepted it and showed some evidence. However, the Ukrainian army continues to attack important targets far from the front line, which shows that the Russian air defense capability cannot easily intercept it.

#ATACMS #PrSM #HIMARS #M142 #M270 #StormShadow #SCALP #cruisemissile #MGM140 #MGM168 #ukraine #UkrainianWar #MASA #military