Ukraine strikes Russia with US missiles: 300-kilometer range...

Ukraine has struck a Russian ammunition depot in the Bryansk region, located approximately 115 kilometers from the border.

In a written statement from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, it was reported that units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces struck the 1046th logistics center ammunition depot near the town of Karachev in Russia's Bryansk region overnight.

The statement noted that 12 secondary explosions were recorded in the targeted area as of 02:30, adding, "The destruction of ammunition depots belonging to the Russian army will continue in order to stop Russia's aggression against Ukraine."

USED FOR THE FIRST TIME!

In reports citing sources from the Armed Forces, the Ukrainian press claimed that Ukraine used US-made long-range ATACMS missiles on Russian territory for the first time in this attack.

The town of Karachev is located approximately 115 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.

WHAT ARE ATACMS MISSILES?

The possibility of the Biden administration granting Kyiv permission to use American-made ballistic missiles on Russian territory has brought the Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) and their effects to the forefront.

These missiles can be launched by mobile systems such as the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) and the M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS).

The ATACMS provided by the US vary according to their intended use and range. Capable of effective destruction against targets both on the front line and behind the front, ATACMS can carry nuclear warheads in addition to conventional explosives.

The missiles, which have inertial or GPS guidance systems, weigh between approximately 1300 and 1600 kilograms.

These missiles are 3.96 meters long, 61 centimeters in diameter, and have a wingspan of 1.4 meters.

The M39 ATACMS BLOCK I (MGM-140 and MGM-140A) has a range of 25 to 165 kilometers and carries 950 M74 anti-personnel and anti-materiel (APAM) bomblets in its approximately 560-kilogram warhead. The total weight of the missile is 1667 kilograms.

The Block IA version of the missile is known as the M39A1 (MGM-140B), has a 300-kilometer range, and can carry 300 M74 APAMs in its warhead.

M74 bomblets, developed by the US, weigh approximately 0.5 kilograms each, are high-explosive fragmentation (HE-frag) and incendiary munitions, and can be scattered by the missile over an area of more than 200 square meters.

The bomblets are effective against parked aircraft, air defense systems, ammunition depots, and massed infantry.

The ATACMS BLOCK IA M48 model has a range of 270 kilometers, while the M57 model has a range of 300 kilometers, and both missiles can carry an approximately 227-kilogram high-explosive (HE) warhead.

US MISSILE DECISION

It had been alleged that the Joe Biden administration in the US had authorized the limited use of long-range American weapons provided to Ukraine on Russian territory.

According to a report by the Washington Post (WP) citing two senior US officials, the US administration decided to grant Kyiv permission to use long-range American weapons on Russian territory following the arrival of North Korean soldiers in Russia to fight against Ukraine.

In this context, the US approved the limited use of the long-range tactical missile systems (ATACMS) it provided to Ukraine against units on Russian soil.

News Source: 12punto