Why Taurus missiles will not turn tide of war and how ATACMS will help Ukraine, military expert explains

He spoke about this on Espreso TV.

"First of all, we should get a sufficient number of ATACMS, because Taurus should not be seen as a weapon that will turn the tide of war. First of all, there are not many of these missiles. The Germans declare only 150 units, and we understand that they will not give us all of them. This is an air-launched cruise missile. It's very complicated with an airplane, because it has to get into the air, get to the launch area, carry out the launches, and return back. The Su-24 is a big machine, the Russians are watching our planes, and they are constantly dumping something on our airfields. We have to take the planes into the air to save them. So this is a long-standing philosophy of using such missiles," the military expert said.

Petro Chernyk emphasized that ATACMS in large numbers can turn the tide of war on a particular foothold and help Ukraine win the war. The only question is the number of such missiles.

"ATACMS is unique in that, firstly, it is a quasi-ballistic missile with a speed of 5,400 km per hour. It is fired from M142 HIMARS and M270 MLRS. The reloading time is about 15-20 minutes. The vehicle is mobile - you launch it and move a few kilometers away, then launch it again. This is done at night, the enemy cannot see it all. The question of the number of ATACMS is very important. If they give Ukraine a few dozen, it's fine, we'll destroy something, accelerate somewhere. But if they give a few hundred, and the United States has more than 4,000 in its warehouses, a thousand of these missiles in just a month could allow Ukrainian troops to get close to the Perekop Isthmus and get closer to Mariupol," Chernyk said.

What is known about sending ATACMS to Ukraine

On April 19, the United States announced another USD 325 million military aid package to Ukraine, which included HIMARS and artillery shells.

At the end of May, representatives of the US Congress called on Biden to send the missiles to Ukraine. In a letter addressed to the US President, the leaders of the bipartisan Helsinki Commission called on the White House to authorize the delivery of the US Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) to Ukraine.

On June 10, members of both parties in the US House of Representatives introduced a resolution calling on Joe Biden to send ATACMS to Ukraine.

On June 21, the House Foreign Affairs Committee supported a resolution to Biden calling for the immediate delivery of ATACMS to Ukraine.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the United States is close to making a decision to provide Ukraine with long-range tactical missile systems ATACMS.

The WP reported that the US does not have enough ATACMS missiles to provide them to Ukraine. 

On September 9, it was reported that the United States may provide missiles to Ukraine in the next aid package.

On September 12, media reported that the Biden administration was close to approving the supply of longer-range missiles to Ukraine, which are immediately equipped with cluster munitions.

On September 15, The Wall Street Journal reported that Ukraine is close to receiving ATACMS missiles from the United States this fall.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said on September 15, that the Ukrainian military will use US missiles as they see appropriate. 

During the talks in the White House on September 22, US President Joe Biden has reportedly assured Volodymyr Zelenskyy that Ukraine would receive a small number of ATACMS missiles.

On September 28, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that the provision of long-range missiles to Ukraine was discussed during a meeting between President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, US President Joe Biden, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz last week.