US close to deal on long-range missiles for Ukraine; delivery will take months

Authors: Mike Stone, Patricia Zengerle and Gerry Doyle

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States is close to a deal to give Ukraine long-range cruise missiles that could reach deep into Russia, but Kiev will have to wait several months for the U.S. to resolve technical issues before any delivery, U.S. officials said.

The inclusion of Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSM) in the weapons package is expected to be announced this fall, three sources said, although a final decision has not yet been made. The sources declined to be named because they were not authorized to discuss the matter.

Sending JASSM missiles to Ukraine could significantly change the strategic landscape of the conflict by putting much of Russia within range of powerful, precision-guided munitions, an important consideration for the Biden administration, the officials said.

Military analysts suggest that introducing the JASSM missiles, which are stealthy and have a longer range than most other missiles currently in Ukraine’s arsenal, could push Russian bases and supply depots hundreds of miles away.

This would seriously hamper Russia’s offensive operations and potentially give Ukraine a strategic advantage.

Launching them from points near Ukraine’s northern border with Russia could enable them to hit military installations as far away as the Russian cities of Voronezh and Bryansk. In the south, dropping them near the front line could enable attacks on airfields or naval facilities in Crimea.

JASSM has so far been integrated only with U.S.-designed aircraft. Ukraine will eventually operate several dozen F-16s, each of which can carry two cruise missiles.

One U.S. official said efforts were underway to make the missile work with non-Western fighters in Ukraine’s inventory, something that had not been previously reported. While the official did not provide further details on which fighters in Ukraine’s inventory the JASSM would work with, it does support Soviet-era MiG-29s, Su-24s and Su-27s.

Politico reported last month that the Biden administration was “open” to providing JASSM missiles to Ukraine.

Ukraine’s need for more weapons and more powerful armaments is growing as the country continues to face intense pressure from Russian forces on the Eastern Front.

Older models of JASSMs, made by Lockheed Martin Corp, have a range of about 230 miles (370 km). The missiles, about 14 feet (4 m) long, are designed to be somewhat stealthy, making them difficult to spot on radar. They can also fly close to the ground and can be programmed to take circuitous routes that bypass air defenses.

There is also a longer-range JASSM missile that can fly more than 500 miles. Reuters could not immediately determine which of the two types Washington is considering, but delivering the shorter-range missiles would put less strain on its stockpile.

Transferring JASSM missiles to Ukraine will also increase pressure on Washington to lift restrictions on how Ukraine uses American weapons because their effectiveness would be limited if they were not allowed to be used on targets in Russia, a congressional staffer working on the issue said.

The United States has been reluctant to supply weapons that could hit targets deep inside Russia, fearing they could escalate the conflict. Kiev’s allies have provided weapons, but with restrictions on how and when they could be used in Russia, fearing such attacks could provoke retaliation that would draw NATO countries into war or provoke a nuclear conflict.

Each JASSM carries a large, 1,000-pound warhead, but unlike the Storm Shadow and SCALP missiles already supplied to Kiev by Britain and France, it is not specifically designed to penetrate hardened bunkers. The latest versions cost about $1 million each.

Global Positioning System (GPS) signals and an inertial navigation system provide guidance. As it approaches its target, an infrared imaging probe can help guide it to its impact point to within about 10 feet (3 m).

While older models may be less resistant to electronic warfare than the current version of JASSM, its infrared seeker will help it find its target even in the face of heavy interference, said George William Herbert of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, California.

“They are fairly stealthy, but they are not completely designed for maximum stealth,” Herbert said. “A few years ago, a few of them were launched in Syria after the chemical weapons incidents, and Russian air defense systems in that country did not shoot down many of them, probably none.

“I would expect that carefully planned missile flight paths would allow JASSM to be effective almost anywhere in the war zone.”

(Reporting by Mike Stone and Patricia Zengerle in Washington and Gerry Doyle in Singapore; Editing by Chris Sanders, Rosalba O’Brien and Stephen Coates)