United States Approves ATACMS Missile Sale to Baltic Countries Poland and Morocco.

The Baltic nations of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, as well as Poland and Morocco, are set to benefit from the long-range missile capabilities of the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) thanks to a contract from the United States Department of Defense (DoD), thereby fulfilling earlier agreements aimed at enhancing their military capacities.
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The ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile System) is a short-range tactical ballistic missile (Picture source: US DoD)

The ATACMS tactical missile will be produced under a $226.8 million hybrid contract awarded to Lockheed Martin. This contract, announced by the DoD on July 2, 2024, covers the procurement of missiles and launch systems under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program, with work expected to continue until December 2028.

Currently, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Morocco do not operate the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) or the M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS), which are the launch vehicles for the ATACMS missile. However, Poland, which received five M142 HIMARS vehicles in 2023, plans to expand its fleet to 506 systems.

In October 2023, Latvia requested six HIMARS platforms and associated ATACMS missiles. Lithuania received approval in November 2022 to purchase eight M142 HIMARS and ATACMS munitions, a transaction valued at $492 million. Estonia also finalized a deal for HIMARS launchers in 2022. In April 2023, Morocco requested 18 HIMARS launchers and 40 M57 ATACMS, along with 36 M31A2 unitary guided MLRS (GMLRS) rounds and 36 M30A2 GMLRS alternative warheads, for a total package valued at $524.3 million.

Manufactured by Lockheed Martin, the ATACMS is a long-range guided missile that can be launched from the MLRS family of systems, including the M142 HIMARS, and M270. The missile is designed to resemble standard MLRS payloads to conceal its capabilities from adversaries. It features enhanced GPS guidance and a 500 lb (230 kg) WDU18 blast fragmentation warhead, ensuring precision and effectiveness over a range of 300 km.

The ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile System) is a short-range tactical ballistic missile with impressive accuracy, capable of hitting targets with a margin of error of about 10 meters or less. Designed and used by the United States, this missile weighs between 1,600 and 2,300 kg, depending on the specific variant. It can reach a speed of approximately Mach 3, or around 3,700 km/h.

The guidance system of the ATACMS relies on a combination of GPS and inertial navigation systems (INS), enabling it to hit targets at distances ranging from 160 to 300 km. The launch vehicles for this missile are the M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) and the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS).

In terms of dimensions, the ATACMS measures 5.75 meters in length, 2.49 meters in width, and 2.4 meters in height. These technical characteristics make the ATACMS a powerful and precise tool for the US armed forces, capable of striking strategic targets at long distances with high efficiency.

The inclusion of ATACMS in the arsenals of these nations significantly enhances their strike capabilities. The missile’s range and accuracy have been highlighted following its deployment by Ukrainian forces for long-range strikes against Russian targets. This development marks a shift in US policy, which had previously been reluctant to send such long-range munitions to Ukraine to avoid escalating the conflict. However, this stance softened after the United Kingdom and France supplied Storm Shadow/SCALP cruise missiles to Ukraine.