ATACMS Have been used--finally.

If only they had been used before

Ive been working on my mid-week update (will get that out later in the week) but the news has come in (and with strong evidence) that the Ukrainians used ATACMS last night for the first time. And they seem to have used them with devastating effect against a very very high value target. Its both heartening and profoundly disillusioning at the same time. Its taken far too long, and shows just what should have been done to help Ukraine sooner. It might have helped devastate the Russian army in 2022 when it was at its most vulnerable and it certainly would have helped the Ukrainians with their counteroffensive. Here is a little run down on what we know.

ATACMS being fired

The Target

Last night the Ukrainians launched what they are calling Operation Dragonfly. It was an attack on the Russian airfield in Beryansk, which is as far south on occupied Ukrainian mainland as one can go (non Crimea.) In other words its been well outside HIMARS range to this point. Indeed it would have been outside of HIMARS range even if Ukraine took Tokmak.

Map of Berdyansk. Blue circle is HIMARS range to hit it (pre ATACMS).

Stories of the attack starting coming out right away, and they were stunning. Basically a major high value-target, with a large range of expensive equipment, seemed to go up at once. Just over an hour ago, the Ukrainian high command confirmed what it believed that it had hit—and if so it would be the single most important strike on Russian aviation since the start of the full-scale invasion almost 20 months ago.