ATACMS no game-changer in Ukraine

A U.S. Congressional Revolution proposes that the US provide Ukraine with the 300-kilometer range ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile System). Ukraine would be able to conduct precision strikes in Russian territory, targeting for example the Kerch Bridge to Crimea. The Biden Administration hesitated to put the weapon in Ukrainian hands fearing wider escalation. But it is unlikely that this Wunderwaffe will make more of a difference than previous miracle weapons—the Jackknife Drone, the Javelin anti-tank missiles, HIMARS, and so forth. The US made just 3,700 ATACMS between 1986 and 2007. This obsolete weapon flies at Mach 3, while Russia’s S-300 air defense missile flies at Mach 6 (and the Russians made 28,000 of them through 2012, enough to protect key targets like the Kerch Bridge). ATACMS cost $1.5m, S-300’s $1 million.