The United States government is close to agreeing on providing long-range missiles for Ukraine and could be included in the upcoming military aid package. Still, even upon approval, it will take months before the shipment reaches the frontlines, Reuters reports citing anonymous American officials.
Specifically, one of the next allocations of military equipment may include the AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSM). The final decision is yet to be made though. Moreover, as reported previously, the White House was concerned about "sensitive technologies" in these long-range missiles.
Read more: American M1117 APCs , Which Took Record 499 Days to Arrive, Spotted in One of Ukrainian Brigades
Considering the time needed to resolve "technical issues" and based on the timeline of previous weapon deliveries, JASSMs would only be ready for usage by the Ukrainian Air Force no sooner than the end of 2024–early 2025.
Notably, there were also "efforts" to ensure not just F-16s but Ukraine's Soviet-era aircraft can launch JASSM, too. It is not specified, however, if the experiments with integration of this missile into non-Western jets' arsenal were successful.
The official announcement regarding JASSM is expected this autumn, three officials told Reuters. The journalists add that committing JASSMs will put additional pressure on Washington to allow Ukraine to use American weapons for strikes inside russia.
So far, Ukrainian forces are only permitted to launch strikes with armaments like the ATACMS missile only inside russia-occupied territories of Ukraine or strictly near its state border. The journalists argue that the provision of JASSM won't have much effect if those restrictions remain in force, therefore the ban might be lifted alongside the official announcement of the transfer.
JASSM comes in two variants, featuring an attack range of 370 or 800 kilometers, respectively. It's also currently unknown which modification Ukraine could be supplied with but the chances of getting the far-reaching one are slim. Nonetheless, there's a plethora of targets within the 370-km range from any potential missile release point that Ukraine could strike: at least 30 airfields and naval bases in Crimea.
Read more: U.S. Official Reveals the Monthly Production of 155mm Shells, Implications For Ukraine
