Putin Is Freaked: ATACMS Might Have Destroyed Elite S-400 Air Defense System
A recent Ukrainian strike on a Russian airbase in Kursk Oblast, reportedly using U.S.-made ATACMS missiles, may have destroyed a $200 million S-400 Triumf air-defense system. While Russia's Ministry of Defense claimed all missiles were intercepted, reports from social media and defense analysts suggest several missiles hit their targets.
What You Need to Know: A recent Ukrainian strike on a Russian airbase in Kursk Oblast, reportedly using U.S.-made ATACMS missiles, may have destroyed a $200 million S-400 Triumf air-defense system. While Russia's Ministry of Defense claimed all missiles were intercepted, reports from social media and defense analysts suggest several missiles hit their targets.
-This marks another significant loss for Russia’s advanced air-defense network.
-Though not a war-changing weapon, the ATACMS provides Ukraine with an extended strike range of up to 200 miles, targeting critical infrastructure deep in Russian-held territory. The U.S. is already testing the next-generation Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) to replace the ATACMS.
U.S. Made ATACMS Likely Destroyed a Russian S-400
Ukraine's strike on a Russian airfield in the Kursk Oblast, which was carried out with a U.S.-made MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS), may have been more successful than Moscow would care to admit – and even more successful than pro-Kremlin milbloggers have cared to acknowledge.
The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) claimed that the eight ATACMS missiles fired at the airbase were shot down, while the popular Fighter Bomber channel on the Telegram social messaging app claimed seven were downed but suggested the airbase was empty.
Reports on social media may tell another story – and five of the U.S.-supplied missiles may have gotten through. While no aircraft were believed to have been destroyed, the ATACMS might have struck and destroyed an S-400 Triumf air-defense system. It would be just the most recent loss of the advanced anti-aircraft platform this year.
Sidharth Kaushal of the London-based Royal United Services Institute defense think tank previously told Newsweek that each of the Kremlin's S-400 costs around $200 million – suggesting it was a good return on investment for Kyiv on Sunday.
ATACMS – As in "Attack 'ems!"
The ATACMS isn't likely to be a serious game changer for the Ukrainian military, yet it did increase Kyiv's ability to strike deeper in Russia, and that was partially why the Biden administration had previously been reluctant to send the surface-to-surface missiles. Each can strike targets upwards of 200 miles (300 kilometers) away, or four times the distance of the rockets used by the HIMARS mobile system that the U.S. began supplying to Ukraine in early 2022.
Developed by aerospace and defense giant Lockheed Martin, the ATACMS long-range guided missiles – known as "attack 'ems" – are equipped with a WDU18, 500-pound class blast fragmentation warhead that is capable of striking targets well beyond the range of existing U.S. military cannons, rockets, and other missiles. The ATACMS can be fired from the MLRS M270 and M270A1 weapons platforms.
The road-mobile, solid-propellant-fueled ATACMS saw considerable success more than three decades ago during Operation Desert Storm in 1991, and again in Operation Iraqi Freedom. The 24/7, all-weather, STS, inertially guided missiles were employed against a variety of targets including air defense artillery sites, surface-to-surface missile units, logistics sites, command and control complexes, and helicopter forward operating bases.
The ATACMS Block 1 has been exported to several U.S. allies including Bahrain, Greece, South Korea, Taiwan, Turkey, and the UAE. Despite its proven capabilities, the U.S. Army is already developing the ATACMS’ eventual replacement and has conducted tests of the prototype at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.
Beyond the ATACMS – the PrSM
The U.S. Army has begun to test the ATACMS replacement, the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM), which promises to be capable of neutralizing targets out to more than 400 kilometers (250 miles). The new surface-to-surface weapon features an open systems architecture design for maximum affordability and flexibility. It was designed to be modular for future growth, while still compatible with the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) and M270A2 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS).
Since the previous Trump administration chose to exit that pact in early 2019, the Pentagon has accelerated the development of the PrSM.
Author Experience and Expertise: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].
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