Summary
- US may send JASSMs to Ukraine, enhancing their air power against Russia.
- The cruise missiles could severely impact Russia’s offensive capabilities.
- Uncertainty remains about which version of JASSMs will be supplied to Ukraine.
Reports are emerging that the US is preparing to send AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSMs) to Ukraine. If true, this would be a significant development and would provide Ukraine’s fighter jets (which now include limited numbers of F-16 Fighting Falcons) with a significant boost in ability.
Reuters says US considering sending JASSMs to Ukraine
The AGM-158 JASSM first entered US Air Force service in 2009. They have a range of around 230 miles, carry 1,000-pound warheads, and cost around $1 million each. On Tuesday, Reuters cited unnamed US officials: “The U.S. is close to an agreement to give Ukraine long-range cruise missiles that could reach deep into Russia, but Kyiv would need to wait several months as the U.S. works through technical issues ahead of any shipment.”
Photo: The Presidential Office of Ukraine
Reuters also said JASSMs may be included in an upcoming weapons package that is expected to be announced this autumn. The publication states that the final decision has not yet been reached but that they would “severely complicate Russia’s ability to sustain its offensive operations and potentially provide Ukraine with a strategic advantage.”
Around 30 Russian airbases could be within range of JASSMs (which Ukraine has now claimed to have built a jet-powered drone to attack). The older JASSMs have a range of around 230 miles, while newer ones have a range of over 500 miles. It is unclear which would be supplied to Ukraine (likely the older ones).
“More advanced” than any other Ukrainian standoff weapon
JASSM missiles are stealthy and can strike high-value Russian targets hundreds of miles behind the front lines. For now, the US is forbidding Ukraine to use much of its weaponry (such as ATACMS) to hit targets in Russia. That said, the US has relaxed these rules on other systems in some areas (such as GIMLARS, better known by the truck system HIMARS). Time will tell if the US will eventually permit Ukraine to strike targets in Russia.
There are concerns about the available British/French/Italian stockpiles to keep supplying Ukraine with Storm Shadow/SCALP-EG missiles. As The War Zone notes, “While the JASSM is more advanced than any standoff weapon in Ukraine’s inventory and it would provide enhanced capabilities, its biggest benefit is that the U.S. government could supply a steady flow of the weapons, greatly expanding the number of high-priority target sets Ukraine can strike deep behind enemy lines.”
Photo: US Air Force
So far, JASSMs have only been integrated for use in US-designed aircraft, so it’s likely they will be used on Ukraine’s new F-16s. F-16s can carry two JASSMs at a time. But there is also talk that efforts are underway to integrate them with the legacy Soviet-era jets Ukraine still has (similarly, the UK jerry-rigged its Storm Shadow missiles to fire from Ukraine’s aging Su-24 Fencers).