, which was designed to replace ATACMS. With an anticipated range of around 500km, the PrSM will be available to US forces only because of the collapse in 2019 of the Intermediate Nuclear Forces treaty. This had prohibited the US and Russia from deploying ground-based ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges between 500 and 5,500km. Last week Douglas Bush, the assistant Secretary of the army for acquisition, logistics, and technology, said the develop){kind=link}
Joe Biden is considering sending the shorter-range cluster munition variant of the missile, rather than the 190-mile range version
The US must send the most advanced version of the ATACMS long-range missile to Ukraine, a former commander of US forces in Europe has said.
Joe Biden is widely reported to have approved the transfer of the US Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) to Ukraine before a visit by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky last week.
But the administration is considering sending the shorter-range cluster munition variant of the missile, rather than the 190-mile range and single-blast variant known as the unitary warhead, according to the Washington Post.
Former US general Ben Hodges urged the Biden administration to send the longest-range warhead, saying the shorter one “would not be as effective at destroying large Russian facilities in Crimea”.