An ATACMS launch container has one rocket but a lid patterned with six circles like a standard MLRS rocket lid to prevent an enemy from discerning what type of missile is loaded.[1]
History
Demonstration of firing
The concept of a conventional tactical ballistic missile was made possible by the doctrinal shift of the late Cold War, which rejected the indispensability of an early nuclear strike on the Warsaw Pact forces in the event the Cold War went hot.[10] The AirLand Battle and Follow-on Forces Attack doctrines, which emerged in the late 1970s and early 1980s, necessitated a conventional-armed (hence much more accurate) missile to strike enemy reserves, so the United States Army Aviation and Missile Command sponsored the Simplified Inertial Guidance Demonstrator (SIG-D) program.[10]
Within this program, Ling-Temco-Vought developed a solid-fuel analog of the MGM-52 Lance missile, designated T-22,[11] with a new RLG-based inertial guidance package, which demonstrated unprecedented accuracy.[10] In 1978, DARPA started the Assault Breaker technology demonstration program to attack armor formations with many mobile hard targets at standoff ranges. It used the T-22 missile and the Patriot-based Martin Marietta T-16 missile with cluster warheads.
Development of the missile now known as ATACMS started in 1980, when the U.S. Army decided to replace the Lance with a similar nuclear, but also chemical or biological, tipped solid-fuel missile dubbed the Corps Support Weapon System (CSWS). Concerned that two branches were developing too many similar missiles with different warheads, the Department of Defense merged the program with DARPA's Assault Breaker in 1981, and with United States Air Force (USAF)'s Conventional Standoff Weapon (CSW) in 1982–1983.[12]
The new missile system, designated Joint Tactical Missile System (JTACMS), soon encountered USAF resistance to the idea of an air-launched ballistic missile. As a result, in 1984 the USAF ended its participation in the non-cruise missile portion of the program, leading to the missile being redesignated as the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS).[12]
In March 1986, Ling-Temco-Vought won the contract for the missile design. The system was assigned the MGM-140 designation. The first test launch came two years later, thanks to earlier experience of the company with previous programs.
In 2007, the U.S. Army terminated the ATACMS program due to cost, ending the ability to replenish stocks. To sustain the remaining inventory, the ATACMS Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) was launched, which refurbishes or replaces propulsion and navigation systems, replaces cluster munition warheads with the unitary blast fragmentation warhead, and adds a proximity fuze option to obtain area effects. Deliveries were projected to start in 2018. The ATACMS SLEP is a bridging initiative to provide time to complete analysis and development of a successor capability to the aging ATACMS stockpile, which could be ready around 2022.[needs update][15]
In January 2015, Lockheed Martin received a contract to develop and test new hardware for Block I ATACMS missiles to eliminate the risk of unexploded ordnance by 2016.[4][5] The first modernized Tactical Missile System (TACMS) was delivered in September 2016 with updated guidance electronics and added capability to defeat area targets using a unitary warhead, without leaving behind unexploded ordnance.[16][17]
Lockheed was awarded a production contract for launch assemblies as part of the SLEP in August 2017.[18]
In 2021, Lockheed Martin was contracted to upgrade existing M39 munitions to the M57 variant with a WDU-18/B warhead from the Harpoon missile by 2024.[19]
A plan announced in October 2016 to add an existing seeker to enable the ATACMS to strike moving targets on land and at sea[20] was terminated in December 2020 to pursue other missile efforts.[21]
In October 2023, a year and eight months after the Russian invasion, the United States delivered ATACMS to Ukraine.[24]
The use of these missiles threatened the entirety of the Russian land corridor in southern Ukraine;[25]
it further placed within reach the vast majority of the Russian-operated air bases inside Ukraine (north of Crimea), and complicated Russia's use of attack helicopters against Ukrainian targets.[26][27]
On February 19, 2024, NBC News reported that U.S. President Joe Biden was considering providing Ukraine with longer-range ATACMS.[28]
On 17 April 2024, six explosions were reported at the Dzhankoi air base in Russian-occupied Crimea. Pro-Russian military bloggers and Ukrainian sources believe that ATACMS missiles or ballistic missiles were used. Some of these missiles deployed cluster munitions. At least six explosions and multiple secondary explosions were reported by locals. The Kyiv Post posted a picture of contrails which it suggests were consistent with ballistic missiles.[29]
On April 20, 2024, after months of delays, the U.S. House of Representatives approved an additional $61 billion in foreign aid to Ukraine[30] which included the delivery of the longer-range version of ATACMS.[31] On April 24, 2024, it was reported that the U.S. secretly sent the 300 km range version of ATACMS to Ukraine in March 2024.[32][33] The Biden Administration had previously been hesitant to provide more missiles due to concerns over supply, since ATACMS production cannot be accelerated in the same way simple artillery rounds could, but the production of enough missiles over previous months as well as Russia's use of North Korean ballistic missiles led to the decision that providing them continuously would not harm U.S. readiness.[34][35]
The ATACMS uses multiple inertial navigation units knitted together with software, so it is able to maintain accuracy when GPS is lost from Russian electronic warfare better than other GPS-guided weapons.[36]
On 23 June 2024, during an attack on Sevastopol, one of the ATACMS missiles launched by Ukrainian forces allegedly hit a beach where a number of civilians were at the time of the attack. According to Kremlin claims, at least four people, including two children were killed and over 150 injured, with Russian officials blaming the US for the attack while the US claimed the deaths were the result of Russian air defense shooting down one of the missiles, which caused it to deviate from its course.[37]
On 1 July 2024, Russia claimed to have recovered an ATACMS missile guidance system intact and Russian officials are studying the guidance system to "identify any weak spots".[38]
M39 (ATACMS Block I) missile with inertial guidance. It carries 950 M74 anti-personnel and anti‑materiel bomblets, each about the size of a baseball[41] and weighing 1.3 lb (0.59 kg),[2] which are dispersed across a circular area approximately 677 feet (206 m) in diameter, covering 360,000 square feet (33,000 m2) in total and effective against parked aircraft, ammunition dumps, air defense systems, and gatherings of personnel, but not against armored vehicles.[26] The size of the affected area can be changed by modifying the height at which the payload is released.[42] Range of Block I is 25–165 km (15-100 mi).[43] The M74 has a reported failure rate of 2%,[44] or 19 for each M39 missile fired. Video is available of a U.S. Army test of the M39 at a mock airfield.[45][27]
M39A1 (ATACMS Block IA) missile with GPS-aided guidance. It carries 300 M74 bomblets. There were 610 produced between 1997 and 2003. During Operation Iraqi Freedom, 74 were fired at Iraqi targets.[46][47] The remaining ones are being updated to M57E1 missiles.[48][49] The M39A1 and later variants can only be used with the M270A1 (or variants thereof) and M142 launchers. Range: 20–300 kilometres (12–186 mi).[50]
M48 (ATACMS Quick Reaction Unitary [QRU]) missile with GPS-aided guidance. It carries the 500-pound (230 kg) WDU-18/B penetrating high explosive blast fragmentation warhead of the US Navy's Harpoon anti-ship missile, which was packaged into the newly designed WAU-23/B warhead section. There were 176 produced between 2001 and 2004, when production ceased in favor of the M57. During Operation Iraqi Freedom, 16 were fired at Iraqi targets and a further 42 were fired during Operation Enduring Freedom.[46][47] The remaining ones are in the US Army and US Marine Corps' arsenal. Range: 70–300 km (43–186 mi).
M57 (ATACMS TACMS 2000) missile with GPS-aided guidance. It carries the same WAU-23/B warhead section as the M48. There were 513 produced between 2004 and 2013.[46][47] Accuracy is 9 m (30 ft) CEP (Circular Error Probable). Range: 70–300 km (43–186 mi).[51]
M57E1 (ATACMS Modification [MOD]) missile with GPS-aided guidance. M57E1 is the designation for upgraded M39 and M39A1 with re-grained motor, updated navigation and guidance software and hardware, and a WAU-23/B warhead section instead of the M74 bomblets. This variant includes a proximity sensor for airburst detonation.[48] Production commenced in 2017 with an initial order for 220.[46][47]
In March 2016, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Raytheon announced they would offer a missile to meet the U.S. Army's Long Range Precision Fires (LRPF) requirement to replace the ATACMS. The missile will use advanced propulsion to fly faster and farther, originally out to 310 miles or 500 kilometres,[52] while also being thinner and sleeker, increasing the loadout to two per pod, doubling the number that can be carried by the M270 MLRS and M142 HIMARS launchers.[53][54]
Lockheed and Raytheon were to test-fire their submissions for the renamed Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) program in 2019, with the selected weapon planned to achieve Initial Operational Capability in 2023. The initial PrSM will only be able to hit stationary targets on land, but later versions will track moving targets on land and sea.[55] With the United States withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in August 2019,[56] it was announced that the range of the PrSM would be increased beyond the "499 km" limitation previously placed upon it by the treaty.[57]
In June 2020, the Army had begun testing a new multi-mode seeker – an upgrade for the Precision Strike Missile. The missile will enter service in 2023. The upgraded seeker is expected to be part of a major program improvement planned for 2025.[58] In July 2021, the U.S. announced that Australia had become a partner in the PrSM Program with the Australian Army, signing a memorandum of understanding for Increment 2 of the program with the US Army's Defense Exports and Cooperation agency, and contributed US$54 million.[59][60] The United Kingdom announced its intentions to field the PrSM starting in 2024 as part of an upgrade to the British Army's M270 MLRS.[61]
Poland: The Polish Land Forces purchased 30 M57 ATACMS, which were all delivered by June 2022.[71] Another 45 M57 ATACMS were ordered in February 2023.[72]
Ukraine: The Armed Forces of Ukraine operates ATACMS M39 Block I;[78] these were used in combat for the first time on 17 October 2023.[79] The longer range ATACMS with bomblets and unitary warheads were also reportedly supplied and used starting in March 2024.[32]
Estonia: A request to buy up to 18 M57 ATACMS was approved in July 2022.[81]
Latvia: A request to buy 10 M57 ATACMS missile pods was approved in October 2023.[82]
Lithuania: A request to buy 18 M57 ATACMS missile pods was approved in November 2022.[83]
Morocco: Ordered 18 M142 HIMARS launchers with 40 M57 ATACMS missile pods along with other MLRS munitions (M30A2 , M31A2) for an estimated cost of 524 million USD in April 2023.[84]
Taiwan: In October 2020, the U.S. State Department approved the sale of 64 M57 ATACMS to Taiwan.[85][needs update]
Failed bids
Finland: A Finnish contract for 70 missiles was canceled due to high prices in March 2014.[86]
^
The M74 APAM (Anti‐Personnel Anti‐Matériel) bomblet weighs 590 g (21 oz) and is 58.9 mm (2.32 in) in diameter. It has a Composition B High‐Explosive shaped charge. It is initiated by an M219A1E1 fuze with a booster pellet which also creates an incendiary effect, and is surrounded by a tungsten fragmenting wall.[39]
References
^ ab"MGM-140 ATACMS". Military Today. Archived from the original on 31 December 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
^ abcdEngineering Director & Chief Engineer, Paul E. Turner. "Precision Fires Rocket and Missile Systems"(PDF). US Army Precision Fires Rocket & Missile Systems Project Office. Archived(PDF) from the original on 12 June 2022. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
^ abcdColonel Joe Russo, CO 14 Marines (May 2018). "Long-Range Precision Fires"(PDF). Marine Corps Gazette: 40. Archived(PDF) from the original on 23 June 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.((cite journal)): CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^Pincoski, Mark (24 April 2007). "Precision Guided Missiles and Rockets Program Review"(PDF). Precision Strike Annual Programs Review. US Army Precision Fires Rocket & Missile Systems unit- Redstone Arsenal. Archived(PDF) from the original on 29 July 2022. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
^"Arms Sales Notification Romania". Defense Security Cooperation Agency, Department of Defense. Archived from the original on 29 November 2022. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
^"Arms Sales Notification Poland". Defense Security Cooperation Agency, Department of Defense. Archived from the original on 15 November 2022. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
^"Arms Sales Notification Qatar". Defense Security Cooperation Agency, Department of Defense. Archived from the original on 5 May 2021. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
^"Arms Sales Notification UAE". Defense Security Cooperation Agency, Department of Defense. Archived from the original on 30 March 2023. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
^"Arms Sales Notification Taiwan". Defense Security Cooperation Agency, Department of Defense. Archived from the original on 29 November 2022. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
