U.S. to provide advanced JASSM missiles to Ukraine

The JASSM missiles, carried among others by F-16 aircraft, have been on the list of weapons to be delivered to Ukraine for months. The American administration has begun preparations for the transfer of missiles, allowing Ukraine to attack targets as far as 370 kilometres away.

Western long-range weapons are an invaluable support for Ukraine. Kyiv has received, among other things, British Storm Shadow missiles and their French counterpart, SCALP-EG. Thanks to these weapons, they have successfully attacked ships in the Sevastopol port and the command centre at the Belbek airbase.

For such missiles to be possible, Ukrainians had to modify their Su-24 aircraft, to which suspension points from Tornado aircraft are attached. Despite Ukraine's repeated requests, Germany does not want to provide its Taurus missiles, but soon, Ukraine will receive another valuable weapon—JASSM air-to-surface missiles.

This help is even more critical because this type of weapon can be carried by F-16 aircraft. Their first batch – confirmed in August 2024 – has already been delivered to Ukraine, although it is unclear whether these specific units have been adapted to carry JASSMs.

The announcements of the transfer of JASSM missiles, initially in general declarations, appeared in the public domain in the spring of 2024. After a few months, the earlier plans are beginning to take concrete shape.

According to Ukrainian sources, the American administration is preparing to transfer JASSM missiles to Ukraine, and senators from both key political parties support this intention. Although the decision has not yet been officially made, formal and technical preparations have already begun.

JASSM missiles - AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile – are air weapons designed to strike targets beyond the range of air defence. The missile is 4.25 metres long, weighs just over 1,000 kilograms, and can carry a 450-kilogram warhead over a distance of about 370 kilometres. During flight, it moves at subsonic speeds, and stealth characteristics make its detection and destruction difficult.

JASSM missiles were introduced into the American air force's arsenal in 2003, and in modern times, they have seen developmental versions such as the AGM-158B JASSM ER, which has an increased range of 1,000 kilometres, and the anti-ship variant AGM-158C LRASM.

A "palletized" variant, the Rapid Dragon launcher, has also been developed, which enables the launch of missiles using transport aircraft. Work is also underway on the AGM-158D JASSM-XR variant, which has an increased range of 1,900 kilometres.

It is worth emphasizing that the actual value of American aid to Ukraine depends on the technical capabilities of the transferred weapons and the limitations imposed for political reasons.

At this stage, it is not clear whether missiles with a range of 370 kilometres will be able to be used to strike targets only on Ukrainian territory or also – which would be a significant advance – on Russian territory.