As part of a new military aid package worth $300 million, the US plans to send additional Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) to Ukraine.
Kyiv will receive more Anti-Personnel/Anti-Materiel (APAM) missiles, which are an older version of the long-range ATACMS. The missiles can travel up to 100 miles and carry warheads that have hundreds of cluster bomblets.
The US had secretly sent an initial shipment of APAMs to Ukraine in September after President Joe Biden approved a plan to provide the country with longer-range weapons. However, Ukraine still struggles to prevent Russia from making battlefield gains. Consequently, the administration has been debating whether to send additional ATACMS for some weeks.
On Tuesday, the White House announced that it would send an “emergency” package of aid to Ukraine, including artillery rounds, additional rounds for the 155mm howitzers, and the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System. According to US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, the Pentagon was able to make a “modest amount” of new security aid available right now without impacting US military readiness. This was possible due to cost savings from previous contracts.
ATACMS is a long-range, precision-strike, surface-to-surface missile providing critical capability that can engage time-sensitive, high-value targets, in all weather conditions. The missile first saw use during the 1991 Gulf War.
