Army Tactical Missile System
Encyclopedia
Surface-to-surface missile
A surface-to-surface missile is a guided projectile launched from a hand-held, vehicle mounted, trailer mounted or fixed installation or from a ship. They are often powered by a rocket motor or sometimes fired by an explosive charge, since the launching platform is typically stationary or moving...
(SSM), range over 100 miles, with solid propellant, 13 feet height and 24 inches diameter, manufactured by Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin is an American global aerospace, defense, security, and advanced technology company with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, in the Washington Metropolitan Area....
. It has some variations in munition payload and range:
- The Block I (MGM-140A) missile contains 950 M74 anti-personnel/anti-materiel (APAM) submunitions with a range of 128 km.
- The Block IA (MGM-140B) missile contains 275 M74 submunitions and a greater range than the Block I.
The ATACMS can be fired from MLRS launchers, including the M270, M270 IPDS, M270A1, and HIMARS
High Mobility Artillery rocket system
The M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System is a U.S. light multiple rocket launcher mounted on a truck.The HIMARS carries six rockets or one Army Tactical Missile System missile on the U.S. Army's new Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles five-ton truck, and can launch the entire M270 Multiple...
.
An ATACMS launch container has a lid patterned with six circles like a standard MLRS rocket lid.
The first use of the ATACMS in a combat capability was during Operation Desert Storm
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
, where a total of 32 missiles were fired from the M270 MLRS
M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System
The M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System is an armored, self-propelled, multiple rocket launcher; a type of rocket artillery.Since the first M270s were delivered to the U.S. Army in 1983, the MLRS has been adopted by several NATO countries. Some 1,300 M270 systems have been manufactured in the...
.
During the Operation Iraqi Freedom more than 450 missiles were fired.
MGM-164 ATacMS - Block II
A Block II variant (initially designated MGM-140C) was designed to carry a payload of 13 Brilliant Anti-Tank (BAT)Brilliant Anti-Tank (BAT)
The Northrop Grumman Brilliant Anti-Tank is a US submunition round dispensed from a missile. It is capable of independently identifying and attacking armored vehicles...
munitions manufactured by Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman Corporation is an American global aerospace and defense technology company formed by the 1994 purchase of Grumman by Northrop. The company was the fourth-largest defense contractor in the world as of 2010, and the largest builder of naval vessels. Northrop Grumman employs over...
. However, in late 2003 the U.S. Army terminated the funding for the BAT-equipped ATACMS and therefore the MGM-164A never became fully operational.
MGM-168 ATacMS - Block IVA
Originally designated Block IA Unitary (MGM-140E) the new Block IVA variant was designed to carry a 500 lb unitary HE warhead instead of the M74 bomblets. It uses the same GPS/INS guidance as the MGM-140B. The development contract was placed in December 2000, and flight-testing began in April 2001. The first production contract was awarded in March 2002.Foreign sales
In 2002 the South Korean ArmyRepublic of Korea Army
The Republic of Korea Army is the largest of the military branches of the South Korean armed forces with 520,000 members as of 2010...
purchased 111 ATACMS Block I and 110 ATACMS Block IA missiles, which were deployed in 2004. An affiliated company of the Hanwha Group of Korea produces munitions for the missile systems under a license from Lockheed Martin.
On 20 December 2010, Lockheed Martin was awarded a contract for $916 million for 226 'tactical missiles' and 24 launcher modification kits for the UAE and Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
.
Bahrain
Bahrain
' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
and Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
are also known users of the ATACMS.
External links
- ATACMS Long-Range Precision Tactical Missile System Lockheed Martin (2011)
- Army Tactical Missile System Block IA Unitary Lockheed Martin. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
- Precision Guided Missiles and Rockets Program Review U.S. Defense Technical Information Center (14 April 2008).
- ATACMS / ATACMS Block IA Unitary Deagel.com. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
- M39 ATMS GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
- M39 Army Tactical Missile System (Army TACMS) Federation of American Scientists | FAS.org. Retrieved 6 October 2011.