Joe Biden has sensationally granted Kyiv permission to use “long-range “ missiles to strike targets deep within Russia, despite Vladimir Putin describing such a move as an act of war.
The weapons are likely to be used in response to North Korea’s decision to send thousands of troops to Russia in support of President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and comes after months of pressure from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. He argued the US ban had made it impossible for Ukraine to try to stop Russian attacks on its cities and electrical grids.
The first deep strikes are likely to be carried out using Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) rockets, which have a range of up to 190 miles (306 km), according to sources who revealed Biden’s policy. ATACMS are a long-range guided missile that gives operational commanders the “immediate firepower to win the deep battle”. Produced by US global security and aerospace company Lockheed Martin, the missiles carry a 500lb (227kg) class blast fragmentation warhead.
These missiles can reach up to 300km (186 miles) and are tough to intercept due to their high speed. The weapons are fitted with a specialised GPS system and carry cluster munitions. Läs artikel