Reuters: US close to agreeing on JASSM long-range missiles for Ukraine

The US is close to agreeing on providing Ukraine with long-range JASSM cruise missiles, capable of hitting targets 300 km inside Russia. Decision expected in autumn, but delivery faces technical challenges and could take months.

Sep 3, 2024 - 19:00

Reuters: US close to agreeing on JASSM long-range missiles for Ukraine

add new post joint air-to-surface standoff missile (jassm) inside south dakota air space museum 18 april 2022 afgscafmil/adam olson jassm-missile

The United States is on the verge of agreeing to provide Ukraine with long-range cruise missiles capable of striking targets deep within Russian territory, according to US officials familiar with the matter, Reuters says. The decision to include AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSM) in a weapons package is expected to be announced this autumn, though a final decision has not been made.

Despite Ukraine’s requests, the US has currently been hesitant to permit strikes deep inside Russia using US-supplied ATACMS missiles, fearing escalation or a potential nuclear response from Russia.

If the US will lift its restrictions, the JASSM missiles, with a range of about 370 km, would enable Ukraine to hit targets approximately 300 km inside Russia, including at least 30 airbases, some of which Russia has used to launch attacks against Ukraine.

However, US officials cautioned that even if approved, the delivery of these missiles could take several months due to technical issues that need to be resolved. One of the challenges is integrating the missiles with Ukraine’s existing Soviet-era fighter jets, including MiG-29, Su-24, and Su-27.

As reported by Reuters, the sources providing this information declined to be named as they are not authorized to discuss the topic publicly.

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