Ukrainian forces destroy Russian S‑300 with American ATACMS

The Ukrainians have confirmed that they successfully destroyed another Russian S-300 air defense system using American ATACMS missiles. We'll explain the capabilities of this weapon.

According to information published by the Ukrainian military command, the attack took place on July 15th, shortly after midnight Eastern Time. The Russian equipment was targeted near Mariupol and then hit using ATACMS missiles, resulting in damage to the radar station and an unspecified number of launchers that are part of the S-300 system.

The Ukrainians used at least four ATACMS M39 variant missiles in this attack.

These solid-fuel ballistic missiles can hit targets up to 100 miles away. They use inertial guidance and are equipped with hundreds of M74 bomblets—950 to be exact—each weighing 1.3 pounds and having a blast radius of several feet. These bomblets contain an incendiary mixture, often resulting in fires during ATACMS attacks.

It's worth noting that the Ukrainians have also received ATACMS M39A1 variant missiles as part of Western support. These missiles can strike targets up to 186 miles away and have the added advantage of satellite navigation. They carry fewer M74 bomblets, as the warhead has been slightly reduced to increase the rocket fuel capacity.

The destroyed S-300 is a long-range ground-to-air missile air defense system and one of the most common types used by the Russians. It originated from the Soviet era (it was put into service in 1978) and has undergone several modernizations.

This Russian system's advantage is its effectiveness at managing various targets, including combat aircraft, cruise missiles, and even some tactical ballistic missiles. It uses different types of missiles that can neutralize targets up to 124 miles away and at altitudes over 15.5 miles. Once launched, these missiles reach speeds up to 4921 ft/s.