Examination of ATACMS Will Help Russia Destroy NATO Weapons Faster – Retired Colonel
14:59 GMT 01.07.2024 (Updated: 16:02 GMT 01.07.2024)
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Russian specialists have obtained the US-made ATACMS tactical ballistic missile's guidance and flight correction system. What could they learn from it?
Russian forces could use the guidance system from an ATACMS missile to find the launchers used in terrorist attacks.
Russian designers have gained access to the guidance module from the US Lockheed Martin Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS).
The US began providing ATACMS ballistic missiles to Ukraine in late 2023, while in April the Kiev regime received a longer-range version of the weapon. Last month Ukraine used the ATACMS in a terror attack against Russian civilians in Sevastopol.
"Firstly, [Russian] designers will analyze the whole bulk of data and find out how the missile flies," Viktor Litovkin, retired Russian Army colonel and military analyst, told Sputnik, along with "how it is directed to the target, whether it is guided by the GPS system, or satellites, or heavy drones."
🎥 Russian specialists are studying the guidance and flight correction system of the US-made ATACMS tactical ballistic missile, an expert told Sputnik.
— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) July 1, 2024
"There are three ring laser gyroscopes [in the missile's guidance system]. They allow the missile to stay on a configured… pic.twitter.com/t0HZ6A03UG
"They will find out its weaknesses and strengths, the composition of the engine [fuel] and solid propellants, how its rudders work, how it determines its orientation and many other details," he added.
After examining the ATACMS missile, Russian specialists will be able to give recommendations to the military on how to intercept it more effectively with anti-aircraft missile systems and how to jam it with electronic warfare (EW) weapons, the retired officer pointed out.
In particular, they could tell the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) what systems can be used to affect the ATACMS' communication" with various aircraft systems or how to turn its GPS system off, Litovkin remarked.
"The military will use this information to attack these missiles and the launchers that fire these missiles. It is possible that after studying this missile [the MoD] would be able to discover the launch areas and location of these missiles faster," said Litovkin.
Earlier, Russian specialists for the first time demonstrated the ATACMS missile's guidance system to Sputnik.
The unit includes three ring laser gyroscopes and a GPS module. They told the website they now had an opportunity to study how the weapon system operates along its entire flight path.
US military experts have repeatedly expressed concerns about Russia gaining access to NATO weapons and learning how to destroy them.
"We are sending a message that the Western military technology is no longer a secret for us, and each time we are finding more and more ways to counter it," the Russian military expert said. "We have shown everyone that we have found an 'antidote' to the most vaunted and promoted Western types of military equipment, and we are using it effectively."
"The West should know that all its efforts have been in vain, that Russian weapons and Russian countermeasures are much more effective than [the West’s] tanks, missiles and guns," the retired colonel concluded. "This is a signal to the whole world, not just the West, that Western weapons are no match for Russian arms."
