ATACMS

The US Army’s road-mobile, short-range ballistic missile — fired from HIMARS and MLRS launchers to strike rear-area targets out to 300 km — and a key deep-strike enabler in the war in Ukraine.

Overview

The MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) is a solid-fuel, quasi-ballistic short-range ballistic missile produced by Lockheed Martin. It entered service in 1990 and first saw combat during Operation Desert Storm in 1991. The missile is carried, one to a pod, by the M142 HIMARS and M270 MLRS families, and provides ground forces with deep, precision fires against high-value targets such as command posts, air-defense sites, logistics hubs and airfields. Originally fielded with a cluster-munition warhead, the family gained a unitary-warhead variant in the 2000s and has been continuously upgraded. Although the United States is transitioning to the longer-range Precision Strike Missile (PrSM), ATACMS remains in service with the US Army and several allies, and has been supplied to Ukraine, where it has reshaped the long-range strike dynamic.

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