the mgm-140 Army tactical missile system or attackums is a long-range guided missile
that gives operational commanders the immediate Firepower needed to win battles Behind Enemy Lines
with a range of over 300 kilometers a barrage of attacks missiles can wreak
havoc on hostile ground formations artillery batteries Supply Depots
communication centers and other strategic objectives far away from the combat zones
each attacker's missile is packaged within a multiple launch rocket system look-alike launch
pad and it can be launched with different Warheads to tear apart all kinds of facilities armored
vehicles and ground formations with devastating effects what's more the Army has announced that a
more powerful variant is already under development and it is expected to have a jaw-dropping range
MGM 52 Lance [Music]
the mgm-140 Army tactical missile system or attackums was developed to replace the
Aging mgm-52 Lance missile introduced into service in 1972 during the last
days of the Vietnam War the Lance was a novelty for its time [Music]
the system was envisioned as America's ultimate mobile field artillery tactical
surface-to-surface missile and it could carry both conventional and nuclear payloads if necessary
the Lance had a mass of over 3 500 pounds a length of 20 feet and a diameter of 22 inches
the payload comprised either a w7d nuclear warhead with a yield of
over 100 kilotons or conventional m251 high explosive submunitions
in addition its maximum operational range was up to 75 miles and it could travel at Mach 3.
a lant system battery of two fire units comprised
two m752 launchers with one missile each and two m688 auxiliary vehicles
plus the standard fire rate was 3 missiles per hour no matter the type of Warhead used
the US Italy Belgium Israel the Netherlands and West Germany all
employed the land system throughout the Cold War to deter a possible Soviet attack
however most retired from service in early 1992 when attackums was introduced
Army tactical missile system
the development of the army technical missile system or attackums began in 1978 when DARPA
and the Army worked on the assault breaker technology demonstration program the objective
was to attack hostile armor formations using mobile hard targets at long ranges
this was part of Cold War era doctrines involving All American military branches
and in 1980 the U.S Air Force replaced the Lance with a similar nuclear-tipped solid fuel missile
it was dubbed The sizz Whiz or core support weapon system
even so while the Army and the Air Force continued developing such missile systems the Department of
Defense decided to step in and merge both programs the result was the joint technical missile system
or J takims but the Air Force eventually quit because the idea of an air launched ballistic
missile was not part of its strategic employment consequently the j-tacums was redesignated as the
Army tactical missile system or atackums and Ling temco Vaught won a contract in 1986 to develop it
the missile was designated mgm-140 and was tested for the first time in 1988
a low rate initial production contract then started the following year but further
testing and modifications were required before the attackums was officially
introduced into service in January of 1991 on its way to the war against Iraq
ultimately over 32 attackamus missiles were fired from the m270 mlrs during Operation Desert Storm
and when the United States returned to the Middle East in 2003 as part of operation Iraqi Freedom
the use of attackum skyrocketed and more than 450 missiles were fired during the operation
in fact according to Army statistics from 2015 more than 500 missiles have
been fired against the enemy after the Americans landed in Iraq and Afghanistan
the block one
the attackamus resembles its predecessor in some ways besides the physical similarities both are
deployed from modified multiple launch rocket systems or mlrs launch vehicles
there are different variants of the missile but block one is the standard version of the attackums
with a range of 165 kilometers it can swiftly attack high value targets such as artillery
emplacements airfields Sam sites Supply Depots and other objectives located Behind Enemy Lines
block 1 carries a single 560 kilogram Warhead with 950 m74 munitions
their anti-personnel and anti-material weapons carry a round ball wrapped in a
Tungsten fragmenting wall with incendiary pellets and a steel casing this combination is extremely
effective against infantry lightly armored vehicles equipment and support facilities [Music]
the total affected area depends on the height at which the missile is detonated
it can either be a small Target area with severe damage or a large area with light damage
the block 1 can be launched from an mlrs 270 AV mrl and a high Mars xm142 wheeled
light vehicle and it began to be phased out in 2009 in favor of the improved block 1A
this variant has an increased range that varies between 100 and 300 kilometers depending on the
Warhead it can also be equipped with 300 m74 submunitions or a unitary high explosive Warhead
the block 1A also features an inertial guidance system combined with the GPS
that provides an unparalleled level of accuracy the variant was introduced in 1998
and the Army announced that its service would be extended by 10 years in 2016.
High versatility [Music]
the block 2 was tested in 2002 and was meant to be an anti-tank version of the attackums it was armed
with brilliant anti-tank or bat p-31 improved subunitions or anti-armor bat-guided submunitions
in addition it had a range of 140 kilometers and carried a warhead of 268 kilograms
however development on the Block 2 was soon canceled
despite the critical role it was expected to play against armored vehicles [Music]
the block 3 also known as the Tacoma's penetrator is basically a block 1A with a range of 250
kilometers and is equipped with an MK4 re-entry vehicle with a high explosive penetrating Warhead
finally a block 1A unitary carries either a 247 kilogram high explosive blast penetration
Warhead from the slam ER missile or a 25 kilogram AGM rgm 84 Harpoon Warhead
the unitary has a range of 300 kilometers and stands out because of its intent to
minimize collateral damage and attack targets under all weather conditions
new Precision strike missile
production of the attackum ceased in 2007 with a total of 3 700 missiles built by then however the
Army has been improving the system to increase its accuracy and reliability for new combat scenarios
in 2015 Lockheed Martin was awarded a contract to develop new hardware for the block 1 in its
variants resulting in updated guidance electronics and other upgrades then in 2020 the Army announced
it had conducted the third test of the prsm or Precision strike missile the successor
of the mgm-140 attackums although no official information has been shared to this day analysts
speculate that the Precision strike missile will have a range of at least 499 kilometers
other Elite sources indicate the Army placed an order for 54 prsm missiles
with Lockheed Martin for about 78 million dollars in December
of 2021 and the Pentagon expects this missile will enter service in 2025.
permission denied
as the war in Ukraine rages on the nation's government has received countless armaments
from NATO Partners especially in the United States recently the Ukrainian military acquired
hayamar's multiple launch rocket systems or mlrs even so the armed forces have been pressing the
US for more powerful missile systems such as the attackums the Biden Administration
has yet to respond to the demands to avoid a direct confrontation with Vladimir Putin
a briefing on September 15 2022 the Russian foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria jakarova
said quote if Washington decides to supply longer range missiles to keep
then it will be crossing a red line and will become a direct party in the conflict
the attackums has a range of up to 300 kilometers is the main cause of concern
as this capability would allow Ukraine to strike targets deep inside Russia and it
would be seen as an escalatory measure in the conflict only time will tell if the
Biden Administration will comply with the demands and provide Ukraine with such powerful missiles
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