Reuters: Ukraine is closer to receiving American long-range missiles

According to RCO News Agency, the British news agency reported that Washington is close to sending long-range missiles to Ukraine, quoting senior American security officials.

Reuters news agency reported on Tuesday that if the White House agrees to this decision, it will take months to send the long-range air-based cruise missiles “AGM-158 JASSM” to Ukraine.

The inclusion of joint air-to-surface missiles (JASSM) in a weapons package is expected to be announced this fall, but the White House has yet to make a final decision, three sources told the news agency.

This news agency also quoted these officials, who did not reveal their identities due to the sensitivity of the matter, and wrote: “Sending JASSM missiles to Ukraine can change the strategic perspective of the war by placing as many Russian targets as possible within the range of powerful and precision-guided munitions, which is one of the “The important concerns of the Biden administration are to change.”

On the other hand, according to military analysts, the provision of JASSM missiles to Ukraine can make Kiev more capable and push the deployment areas of Russian forces and supply depots back hundreds of miles. This issue could complicate Russia’s ability to maintain its offensive operations and create a strategic advantage for Ukraine.

Due to the 130 km range of this type of missile, Ukraine can target Russian military facilities as far as the cities of Voronezh and Bryansk located in the west of Russia by firing them from the points near its northern border with Russia. On the southern front, Kiev can use this type of missile near the front lines to attack Russian airports or naval facilities in Crimea.

America is looking for a change in Soviet-era fighters

So far, only American and Western fighters have the ability to launch the long-range AGM-158GASSM cruise missile, but as Reuters reports, Ukraine ultimately has a limited number of US F-16s and, more recently, one of its own. has lost

The F-16 can carry a maximum of two cruise missiles, and even under ideal conditions, according to US officials, this is a challenge for Ukraine.

In this regard, an American official revealed that Washington is looking to modify non-Western fighters in Ukraine’s inventory, such as the Soviet-era Sukhoi-24, MiG-29, and Sukhoi-27 fighters, so that these fighters also have the ability to fire JASSM. .

Last month, “Politico” published in a report that the Biden administration was ready to send JASSM missiles to Ukraine.

At the time, a Biden administration official told Politico that a final decision had not yet been made on whether to send the missiles, but that the administration was working through the intricate details to implement the plan.

So far, the US Ministry of Defense has refused to comment on whether or not to transfer this missile with a range of 130 kilometers to Ukraine.

Characteristics of the cruise missile demanded by Ukraine

In the past, Biden opposed sending this type of missile and other advanced equipment such as F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, but some members of Congress and political opponents of Biden accused his administration of being slow in sending the equipment “needed by Ukraine to confront Russia”. have done

A handful of countries have AGM-158 JASSM missiles in their arsenal.

The AGM-158 JASSM cruise missile has a 450 kg warhead and is a stealth missile with a very small cross section. This missile has INS and GPS guidance system and uses IIR guidance in the final phase.

The AGM-158 GSSM missile was developed by Lockheed Martin and was first used in the early years of the new century.

Poland, Australia and Finland possess this advanced missile. Japan and the Netherlands signed contracts to buy the Note missiles in July, which are expected to be delivered to them in the coming years. Germany, Greece, Romania and Denmark are also negotiating to buy this missile.

According to Pentagon data, Lockheed Martin has delivered more than 4,100 AGM-158 JASM missiles in various configurations to the US Air Force and its allies. This company is looking to increase its production by establishing a new production line in the state of Alabama.

For the first time, last month, General Sergey Naif, the commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, mentioned the possibility of delivering the AGM-158 JASSM missile to Ukraine and said that along with the F-16 fighters, the airborne cruise missile with a range of 300 500 km will be delivered to Ukraine.

Ukraine’s urgent need for new weapons to counter Russian advance

Reuters report citing US officials that the White House is getting closer to sending such an advanced missile to Ukraine coincides with Russia’s massive advance in eastern Ukraine.

According to Reuters, Russia’s increasing advance on the eastern front has led Ukraine to receive more advanced weapons and more powerful weapons, while it continues to face intense pressure from Russian forces along its eastern front.

Russia’s progress on the eastern front and the relative failure of Ukraine in its attack on Kursk have made this country feel more in need of receiving more advanced weapons, but according to one of the US congressional staffers: “If Ukraine receives JASSM, Kiev will ask Washington to remove Limiting the use of American weapons will put pressure on Russia, because this limitation will greatly limit the effects of this missile.

Since the beginning of the Ukraine war, despite its extensive support for Ukraine and the provision of military aid packages worth 50 billion dollars to Kiev from 2022, the United States has refrained from providing weapons that can attack targets deep in Russia due to the fear of escalation of the conflict. He has refused to give.

But recently, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has increased pressure on the United States to allow Kiev to target deep into Russian soil after his representatives met with senior American officials in Washington.

“We talk about this every day with our partners,” he added in a video speech. We convince them. We present the argument. We need the capacity to protect Ukraine and the Ukrainian people. “We need permits to use your long-range bullets and dual-range capabilities, as well as missiles.”

The President of Ukraine said that the representatives of Ukraine have told all the necessary details to the Kiev partners.

These statements were made by Zelensky after Defense Minister Rostam Amrov, who is in Washington on Friday and Saturday with a delegation to meet American officials and experts, claimed in an interview with CNN. Russian airfields used to hit Ukrainian cities are in deep strike range, says Kiev

Zelensky is supposed to personally deliver his plans for victory to US President Joe Biden next month while attending the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York.

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