White Sands Missile Range/John Hamilton
- Ukraine carried our a series of strikes on Russian airbases, damaging multiple helicopters.
- Multiple reports and a source familiar with the matter confirmed Kyiv used ATACMS in the attack.
- It's the first time indication that Ukraine acquired the US-made missiles.
Ukrainian forces used US-provided MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System, or ATACMS, in attacks that they say damaged Russian airfields behind the lines and destroyed multiple helicopters on Tuesday, according to multiple reports and a source familiar with the matter.
Kyiv's defense ministry said the attacks on the airfields in Berdyansk and Luhansk — both of which are in Russian-occupied territory — resulted in the loss of nine helicopters, an air-defense launcher, vehicles, and ammunition depots, and caused severe damage to the airstrips. Ukraine attributed the "successful" operation, known as "Dragonfly," to the country's special operations forces, which also published details of the incidents.
In the aftermath of the strikes, open-source intelligence (OSINT) accounts, Russian military bloggers, and analysts began suggesting on social media that Ukraine used ATACMS to carry out the attack. The use of this weapon would be a first for Ukraine, which hasn't officially acquired it, and would indicate a major new capability in its arsenal.
"ATACMS is already with us," Oleksiy Goncharenko, a Ukrainian lawmaker, wrote on social media. "The airfield in Berdyansk with enemy equipment was hit by them. Thanks to our partners!"
A person familiar with the matter told Insider that Ukraine used ATACMS missiles, confirming multiple reports that Kyiv's forces secretly acquired ATACMS from the US.
Insider's source said Ukraine used the M39 variant in Tuesday's strikes. The M39 is a deadly cluster missile. It has a range of around 100 miles and is packed with 950 anti-personnel and anti-materiel, or APAM, M74 bomblets. These submunition are released mid-flight and disperse over a large area.
—🇺🇦 Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) October 17, 2023
Ukrainian officials, former US military officers, war experts, and US lawmakers in Congress have long pressed Washington to send ATACMS to Kyiv. The Biden administration reportedly agreed to do so last month, but there has not been any public confirmation or an official announcement on the transfer.
The Pentagon responded to Insider's request for comment but did not confirm the reporting on ATACMS.