Following the "Hymars" multiple launch rocket system, the United States will send Ukraine longer-range weapons in the latest round of arms assistance, and in the words of the Americans, they will provide Ukraine with long-range strike weapons sufficient to hit military bases in Crimea and around Berdyansk near the Sea of Azov.
In the more than two years since the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the weapons of the United States' military assistance to Ukraine have actually been carefully "selected", especially before and during the conflict, in addition to the basic ammunition and anti-tank equipment selected by the United States for Ukraine, in terms of long-range firepower strike equipment, the United States usually sets a certain strike distance for Kyiv's weapons.
For example, the famous "Hymars" multiple launch rocket system, this thing in the hands of the US military can reach a maximum range of about 500 kilometers, but the United States gives Ukraine a range of only more than 50 kilometers, at most not more than 100 kilometers, because the United States believes that if Ukraine gets weapons with a range of more than 100 kilometers, it will pose a serious threat to the Russian mainland, which the United States does not want to see, the Biden administration's strategy before 2024 is that I want to aid Ukraine, but I can't provoke Russia...
However, as the situation on the battlefield between Russia and Ukraine is developing in a direction that is unfavorable to Ukraine, the corresponding strategy of the United States is also changing, weapons of more than 100 kilometers have begun to be gradually lifted, and some similar missiles have quietly entered Ukraine, and the "red line" of threatening the Russian mainland has now been abandoned by the United States.
ACCORDING TO POLITICO, THE UNITED STATES IS SECRETLY SENDING LONG-RANGE MISSILES TO UKRAINE;
THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION DELIVERED THE FIRST ARMY TACTICAL MISSILE ATACMS WITH A RANGE OF MORE THAN 200 MILES TO UKRAINE LAST MONTH, POLITICO SAID;
Of course, this is just a public statement, according to a senior official of the US government, the ATACMS long-range version of the missile actually came to Ukraine as early as October last year, and Kyiv has launched at least two strikes against Russia with this missile, one of which is aimed at the Russian army's military base in Crimea, and the other is against the Russian army in Berdyansk, these two long-range strikes have caused serious losses to the Russian army, including more than a dozen Russian helicopter gunships, anti-aircraft missiles, Both vehicles and ammunition depots were destroyed by missiles. After the attack, Zelensky made a statement that ATACMS had "proven itself."
On that occasion, the ATACMS missile provided by the United States for Ukraine had a range of about 100 miles, and the missile was a cluster bomb;
And last month, Biden sent Ukraine ATACMS with a range of 200 miles, and the United States believes that this longer-range missile can bring some new impetus to Ukraine, forcing Russia to withdraw some key command and important air assets in or around Ukraine.
The long-range version of the ATACMS missile will at least more than double the strike range of the Ukrainian missile forces, including the Crimean bridge, which is within its range.
From missiles with a range of less than 100 kilometers to weapons with a range of more than 300 kilometers, the change in range also marks a major shift in U.S. arms assistance to Ukraine and policy toward Russia;
What the United States is currently concerned about is whether Ukraine can continue to hold on, and aiding missiles with a range of 300 kilometers can make Ukraine pose a huge threat to Russia's logistics facilities and approaching aviation bases, and then force back some of Russia's forward-deployed armed forces, so as to buy some time for Kyiv and ensure Zelensky's "survival" time.
In the past, before Russia achieved the enormous advantage it has today, the United States thought that weapons with a range of about 100 kilometers were sufficient, but now that the situation has changed, the United States has changed its policy accordingly.
In fact, in essence, the weapons that the United States has provided to Ukraine have a fairly obvious purpose, that is, not only to prevent Kyiv from ending the fighting quickly, but also to make Great Russia suffer considerable losses, and the previous weapons of more than 100 kilometers can produce similar effects, and now 200 or 300 kilometers of weapons are needed to complete this kind of task.
To put it simply, the United States is behind the scenes of the process of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, and this war must continue so that they will be profitable.
Do you know what "profit" is?
The ultimate goal of the United States on the battlefield of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict is to let Ukraine drag down the Russian army, but they do not hope to defeat Great Russia from the military level, but to drag Russia down from the economic and political level through this "war", so that this country that can compete with the United States will completely disintegrate in the military conflict of "boiling frogs in warm water".
Therefore, the statement that the United States does not want Ukraine to threaten the Russian mainland is a cover, and the United States is just choosing appropriate weapons for Ukraine through the process of the war, so that Kyiv will not die and Russia will not be able to enter.
ATACMS is only a transitional option, and if the Russian offensive continues, it is estimated that there will be longer-range missiles entering Ukraine in the future.
So after talking for a long time, what is this ATACMS?
ATACMS is a tactical ballistic missile installed by the U.S. military, which is somewhat similar to the Russian "Iskander", but it can be launched through the M270 "Hymars" multiple launch rocket system, with a maximum range of 200 miles (about 300 kilometers);
The ATACMS ballistic missiles sent by the United States to Ukraine this time are M39;
This type of missile is a personnel anti-personnel bomb, with 950 built-in M74 projectiles, a single projectile mass of 0.59 kg, and a single missile launch can destroy a range of 33,000 square meters, which is full of lethality.
Ukraine's deployment of such missiles can threaten all areas occupied by Russia in southern Ukraine, including the relatively distant Crimean Peninsula.
Russian military experts believe that the United States can provide Ukraine with this kind of weapon, which can change the current battlefield situation in a short period of time, prevent the Russian army from continuing to penetrate, and win time for Ukraine to carry out their so-called "big counteroffensive", and at the same time provide some protection for the F-16 fighter jets that are about to be received.
But its role is only temporary, once the weapon is consumed, Ukraine still can't stop the advance of the Russian army, so Zelensky received the weapon and also put forward a request to authorize the production in his own country, but the United States did not pay attention to this suggestion.
To put it bluntly, the ATACMS missile is the equipment that the United States "forcibly prolonged" for Ukraine, just like administering painkillers to a dying person is an effect, it only has a sensory effect, but no real effect.