Ukraine deals a significant blow to Russian defenses in Crimea

Ukrainians continue dismantling Russian medium-range air defense systems. This time, they targeted an S-400 Triumf battery located in Crimea. Here’s what the Ukrainians used.

Ukrainians continue to shell valuable targets in Crimea, such as medium-range air defense system batteries. They have boasted about destroying four launchers of the S-400 Triumf complex near Sevastopol.

Another target was the refurbished submarine "Rostov-on-Don," which sank due to the attack. A rocket artillery unit carried out the strike in cooperation with the Ukrainian Navy. This indicates the use of M142 HIMARS launchers loaded with MGM-140 ATACMS ballistic missiles that have been successful in taking down Russian air defense and missile systems.

The United States Army introduced MGM-140 ATACMS ballistic missiles into service in the 1990s. Depending on the version, their range is about 100 or 186 miles. It's worth mentioning that this is not a new solution, and the Americans are already introducing its successor, PrSM, into service.

Despite this, Ukrainians are successfully using even older versions of these missiles. Primarily, versions with a cluster warhead designated M39 and M39A1 are used. The M39 has a range of 100 miles, while the M39A1 extends to 186 miles. The speed of MGM-140 ATACMS missiles is Mach 3 (2,300 mph), and their flight characteristics have proven to be a significant problem for the Russians, whose air defense and missile systems cannot cope with them.

The differences between the versions lie in the guidance method and the warhead size. The M39 relies solely on an inertial navigation module and has a 950 M74 APAM bomblets payload. The M39A1 reduces the number of bomblets to 300 in exchange for more fuel and an added satellite navigation module, theoretically offering greater precision.

It is worth noting that in recent months, the Russians have learned to jam the GPS signal, deteriorating precision by up to several dozen feet. For the MGM-140 ATACMS missiles, this slightly affects the effectiveness of the M39A1 version, but they remain effective due to their huge destructive power. GPS issues are more noticeable with GLSDB missiles or M982 Excalibur artillery shells.

The main damaging element of the MGM-140 ATACMS cluster variant missiles is the M74 APAM bomblets, which weigh 20 ounces and have a diameter of 2 inches. Their casing is made of tungsten, resulting in fragments capable of piercing bulletproof vests upon explosion. Additionally, inside the bomblets, an incendiary material generates fires upon impact. Practically nothing is expected to survive in the zero zone.