Russia dissects for the first time the "brain" of the ATACMS missile the US gave to Ukraine

The device is described as the ATACMS missile guidance system that Russian experts are "dissecting" (Photo: Sputnik).

A Russian military expert told Sputnik that Moscow is studying the guidance and flight correction system of the US-made ATACMS tactical ballistic missile.

According to Sputnik , this is the first time Russia has "dissected" the part considered the "brain" of this missile.

"There are three ring laser gyroscopes in the missile's guidance system. They allow the missile to follow a predetermined ballistic trajectory. In addition, there is a GPS antenna, thanks to which the missile is guided in the initial and final stages of its trajectory. We can analyze the performance of the missile system during the entire flight trajectory," the expert said, citing the benefits of studying the guidance system.

It is not yet clear how Russia obtained the guidance components of the missile. The US and Ukraine have not commented on the information.

If Russia can learn how ATACMS works and how it guides, Moscow may find a way to effectively intercept the missile. This may not be positive news for Ukraine, as ATACMS is considered one of Kiev's most effective weapons in recent times.

The US will begin supplying ATACMS ballistic missiles to Ukraine in 2023.

Weighing over 1.6 tons, 4 meters long and 610 mm in diameter, ATACMS can fly at speeds of up to 1 km/s at a ceiling of about 50 km. Using a GPS navigation system, the missile has very small errors even though it can attack targets up to 300 km away.

The US sent ATACMS with a range of 150km last fall. However, the version recently sent can fly up to 300km, putting higher-value Russian targets in Ukraine’s crosshairs.

Ukraine is said to have repeatedly attacked Russia with ATACMS in recent times, causing some damage to the enemy.

In mid-April, Ukraine claimed to have attacked the Dzhankoi military base, in northern Crimea, including an S-400 air defense launcher, without specifying what type of weapon was used. A senior US official later told the Times that ATACMS had been deployed.

In May, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pointed to ATACMS as the main weapon for targeting Russian airfields in Crimea.

“When Russia knows we can destroy these jets, they will not attack from Crimea anymore,” Mr. Zelensky told the Washington Post.

"It's like an armada at sea. We pushed them out of our territorial waters. Now we will push them out of the airports in Crimea," he declared.

Developed by defense industry group Lockheed Martin since 1986, to date, about 3,700 ATACMS missiles have been produced and put into service in the US military and several allied countries.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/nga-lan-dau-mo-xe-bo-nao-cua-ten-lua-atacms-my-cap-cho-ukraine-20240701162248761.htm