Ukraine’s potential new missiles: JASSM, Tomahawks, and expert insight
Photo: Ukraine may receive JASSM and Tomahawk missiles from the US (Getty Images)
Ukraine may receive two new types of missiles from the US — JASSM and JASSM-ER. However, there are certain difficulties with the Tomahawks, states aviation expert Valerii Romanenko in a comment to RBC-Ukraine’s YouTube channel.
"If we receive Tomahawks, then the Americans will have to program their flight paths to the targets. With JASSM, the situation is simpler. First, they have a shorter range. Second, these guidance systems use terrain contour matching under the missile, which is a much simpler system," Romanenko said.
According to him, Ukraine could potentially create such missiles on its own, but digital terrain maps are needed to program the flight.
"A modern cruise missile does not just fly by GPS. If GPS is jammed, that’s it — a million-dollar missile goes off course and crashes somewhere once the fuel runs out. More advanced and protected systems are needed for this," the expert explained.
He noted that these systems will also require constant, stable, and comprehensive intelligence data and terrain information for the missile’s flight route to the target.
"If we receive this complex, then we can talk about Tomahawks. But if even one component is missing, there is no point in talking about Tomahawks. And, in my opinion, Tomahawks is just a term because JASSM is harder to pronounce. Under Tomahawks, simpler missiles are understood. The regular JASSM has a range of 360 km, and the JASSM-ER about 950 km. So both types are realistically possible for us to receive," Romanenko added.
US may supply missiles to Ukraine
Recently, media reports indicated that US President Donald Trump is considering the possibility of supplying Ukraine with Tomahawk cruise missiles. A decision may be made at a later date.
Military Watch Magazine also reported that President Trump may authorize the delivery of long-range JASSM missiles to Ukraine.
However, yesterday, Trump stated that he does not plan to transfer long-range JASSM missiles to Ukraine.
In addition, Trump announced the transfer of an additional 17 Patriot systems to Ukraine.
