MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The ATACMS missiles used by Ukraine against targets in Russia’s Kursk Region were mostly likely originally produced in the 1990s and had been modified at least twice to extend their lifespan.
This is according to a Sputnik correspondent’s analysis of the photos of the destroyed missile parts released by the Russian Defense Ministry on Tuesday.
Earlier in the day, the Russian Defense Ministry said that Ukraine fired five ATACMS missiles on the S-400 division in the Kursk Region — three missiles were intercepted and two reached the target, injuring a number of service personnel.
In addition, seven ATACMS missiles have been destroyed and one reached the target in Ukraine’s strike on the Vostochny airfield also in the Kursk Region, where two soldiers have been wounded by falling missile fragments.
The ATACMS missiles used by Ukraine against targets in Russia’s Kursk region were mostly likely originally produced in the 1990s and had been modified at least twice to extend their lifespan, according to Sputnik’s analysis of the photos of the destroyed missile parts.
— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) November 26, 2024
The photos released by the Russian Defense Ministry showed that the ATACMS missiles were produced by “Lockheed Martin Vought Systems,” which is the name the US defense contractor used until 1999, according to annual budget reports of the US Army.
From the year 2000, the US defense contractor changed its name to “Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control,” the budget report of the US Army released in 2000 showed.
The name of the manufacturer on the ATACMS missiles fired by Ukraine indicated that the weapons were most likely originally produced in the late 1990s, when the US Army began to procure such missiles in large quantities.
The ATACMS missiles have a service life of 10 years and would require about $1 million per unit to reset its service life, according to previous US Army budget reports.
