Russian specialists gain access to ATACMS guidance and flight correction system

Russian specialists obtained the guidance and flight correction system of the American ATACMS operational-tactical missile and proceeded to study the trophy.

The specialists analyse a laser gyroscope unit and a GPS module of the system.

There are three laser ring gyroscopes here. They keep the missile on the designated ballistic trajectory. The GPS antenna makes corrections during the primary and last sections of the ballistic trajectory, a specialist said.

RIA Novosti news agency published the video showing the internal structure of the missile that Ukraine received from the US.

Russian experts will thus able to study the operation of the missile system throughout its flight to find a reliable protection against it.

It was not specified how exactly the Russian specialists obtained the parts of the US missile.

The United States started to transfer ATACMS ballistic missiles to the Armed Forces of Ukraine in 2023. Ukraine launched five ATACMS missiles to strike the city of Sevastopol on June 23. One of the missiles exploded over a beach with vacationers. As a result, more than 150 people were injured, four others, including children, were killed.

A few days after the attack, divers from the Ministry of Emergency Situations retrieved three unexploded submunitions near the beach. In addition, it was reported that the victims of the Sevastopol beach strike had atypical wounds that did not bleed.

Russia then accused the United States of facilitating the attack on the beach. The Russian Ministry of Defense promised to a response. The Pentagon responded by saying that the beach was not the target of the Ukrainian attack. The department also said that it was up to Ukraine to decide where to strike.

ATACMS is a tactical ballistic missile that can be launched from multiple launch rocket systems, including the M142 HIMARS. It was developed by Lockheed Martin. The transfer of missiles to Kyiv was reported in April of this year. As reported by American media, the latest deliveries came with a modification that provides a damage radius of up to 300 kilometers.