How many ATACMS missiles are there in Ukraine?

The mass media estimate that Ukraine has about 50 US ATACMS missiles, each of which costs 1 million dollars, due to their high accuracy. Recently, US President Joe Biden approved the launch of these missiles into Russian territory.

Ukraine is armed with about 50 American ATACMS missiles. However, this information has not been officially confirmed: the Pentagon has not disclosed information about the amount of ammunition delivered, writes The Times newspaper. ATACMS missiles are launched from the HIMARS and MLRS multiple launch missile systems at the disposal of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. However, due to limited reserves, Kyiv is forced to carefully select targets for strikes, the publication notes.

On November 19, the Ministry of Defense of Russia reported that the Armed Forces of Ukraine used ATACMS missiles for the first time on the territory of Russia. Six missiles were launched: five of them, according to the ministry, were shot down, one was damaged and fell on a military facility in the Bryansk region. A fire broke out at the place where the missile landed, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the fire was quickly extinguished.

According to information from open sources, in 2023 Ukraine received a small batch of missiles with a range of up to 160 km. More modern versions with a range of up to 300 km were secretly delivered in March 2024 as part of a $300 million grant, Kyiv Post reported. Given the high cost of ATACMS (more than $1 million per unit), analysts estimate that Ukraine has received only a few dozen of these missiles.

Some of them have already been used to strike Russian targets, including air bases, radar stations and air defense systems. For example, in October 2024, with their help, the Russian "Nebo-M" radar was hit, as well as military targets in the occupied Crimea and eastern Ukraine.

Each strike using ATACMS requires multiple missile launches to achieve maximum effectiveness, which limits the ability to conduct long-range operations given the limited supply of ammunition. Without additional supplies, the use of missiles for deep strikes into Russian territory will remain very limited, the Kyiv Post notes.