Russia has for the first time dissected the "brain" of the ATACMS missile that the US supplied to Ukraine.

The device is described as the ATACMS missile guidance system that Russian experts are currently dissecting (Photo: Sputnik).

A Russian military expert told Sputnik that Moscow is studying the guidance and flight path adjustment system of the US-made ATACMS tactical ballistic missile.

According to Sputnik , this is the first time Russia has "dissected" what is considered the "brain" of this missile.

"There are three circular laser gyroscopes in the missile's guidance system. They allow the missile to follow a predetermined ballistic trajectory. In addition, there is a GPS antenna, which allows the missile to adjust its flight path during the initial and final stages of its ballistic trajectory. We can analyze the missile system's operation throughout the entire flight path," the expert said, highlighting the benefits of studying the guidance system.

It is unclear how Russia obtained the guidance system from the missile. The US and Ukraine have not commented on the information.

If Russia can understand the operating mechanism and guidance of ATACMS, Moscow may find a way to effectively intercept this missile. This could be bad news for Ukraine, as ATACMS has been considered one of Kyiv's most effective weapons in recent times.

The US began supplying ATACMS ballistic missiles to Ukraine in 2023.

Weighing over 1.6 tons, measuring 4 meters in length and 610 mm in diameter, ATACMS can fly at speeds up to 1 km/s at an altitude of approximately 50 km. Using GPS satellite navigation, this missile has very little error, even though it can strike targets up to 300 km away.

The U.S. previously sent ATACMS missiles with a range of 150km last fall. However, the recently sent version of the missile can fly up to 300km, putting higher-value Russian targets within Ukraine's reach.

Ukraine is believed to have repeatedly attacked Russia with ATACMS in the past, inflicting some damage on the enemy.

In mid-April, Ukraine claimed to have attacked the Dzhankoi military base in northern Crimea, including an S-400 air defense launcher, without specifying the type of weapons used. A senior U.S. official later told the Times that ATACMS had been deployed.

In May, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky identified ATACMS as the primary weapon for targeting Russian airfields in Crimea.

"When Russia knows we can destroy these jets, they will no longer attack from Crimea," Zelensky told the Washington Post.

"It's like a fleet at sea. We pushed them out of our territorial waters. Now we will push them out of the airports in Crimea," he declared.

Developed by the defense industry corporation Lockheed Martin since 1986, approximately 3,700 ATACMS missiles have been produced and put into service with the US military and several allied nations to date.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/nga-lan-dau-mo-xe-bo-nao-cua-ten-lua-atacms-my-cap-cho-ukraine-20240701162248761.htm