The United States has approved Ukraine’s request to use long-range ATACMS missiles to target military sites deep within Russian territory. The decision, made by President Joe Biden, was reported by several official sources cited in US media on November 17, 2024.
Washington will now permit the Ukrainian military to use Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) on a case-by-case basis to strike targets in Russia, beginning with the Kursk region, where some Ukrainian units are deployed.
These missiles, launched from Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS), can reach targets up to 300 kilometers (185 miles) away and are designed to neutralize high-value enemy assets, such as buildings, equipment, and troop assembly points. The ATACMS system is equipped with GPS/INS (Global Positioning System/Inertial Navigation System) guidance, enabling precise strikes.
What about the SCALP-EG/Storm Shadow long-range missile?
This policy shift from the US could pave the way for similar decisions by Ukraine’s other allies. In May 2024, French President Emmanuel Macron stated his readiness to allow Ukraine to use French-supplied long-range weapons to strike military targets within Russia.
“We must allow [the Ukrainians] to neutralize the military sites from which the missiles are fired, essentially the sites from which Ukraine is being attacked,” Macron said at the time. “If we tell [the Ukrainians], ‘You cannot target the launch sites,’ we are effectively saying, ‘We are giving you weapons, but you cannot defend yourselves.’”
Ukraine first received long-range SCALP-EG/Storm Shadow cruise missiles from France and the United Kingdom during the summer of 2023. The missile has a maximum range of 560 kilometers (350 miles), but the models delivered were reportedly modified to operate at a reduced range of 250 kilometers (155 miles).
Developed in the 1990s by Matra and British Aerospace and now produced by European missile manufacturer MBDA, these missiles are devoid of US-made components, which allowed France and the UK to bypass Washington’s approval to supply them. However, both countries were likely waiting for the US to cross this “red line” before authorizing broader strikes.