Airmen with the Air National Guard Air Force Reserve Command Test Center (AATC) load a JASSM on a pre-block F-16 for a test launch. (U.S. Air Force Photo By Senior Master Sgt. Charles Givens)
The United States is studying the possibility of sending Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSM) to Ukraine, Politico reported on August 16.
The long-range cruise missiles could be launched from the Ukrainian Air Force (UAF) new American-made F-16 fighter jets and would allow Kiev to strike “targets over 230 miles [370 kilometers] away,” boosting Ukraine’s military capabilities against Russia, according to the news outlet.
Politico noted that discussions are ongoing within the White House and Pentagon to address the complexities of the transfer, including ensuring the compatibility of the missiles with Ukraine’s fighter jets.
“The Pentagon is already working with Ukraine on those technical issues, two of the people said,” according to the report.
The potential delivery would mark another step in the U.S. evolving support policy for Ukraine, as the missiles “has been shared with only a handful of close allies,” it said.
Politico also reported that Ukrainian officials have been pressing for the JASSM, arguing it is essential to counter Russian air attacks.
“The U.S. and allies have already committed to sending Ukraine a variety of air-to-air and air-to-ground munitions for its F-16s, but the JASSM deliveries would give Kyiv the most powerful and longest-range weapon in its air force’s arsenal,” the report said.
The UAF received the first batch of F-16s just last month. At least ten such fighter jets were reportedly delivered to the country.
The JASSM, which has a stealthy design, is guided by a GPS-aided inertial navigation system. For target recognition and terminal homing, the missile is equipped with an imaging infrared seeker. In addition, a data link allows the missile to transmit its location and status during flight, allowing improved bomb damage assessment.
Politico’s report was clearly talking about the baseline version of the missile which has a range of 370 kilometers. A more advanced extended range version of the missile dubbed the JASSM-ER can engage targets 926 kilometers away.
While the JASSM is without a doubt very capable, the Russian military is already familiar with it. The baseline version of the missile was first used during the 14 April 2018 missile strikes against Syria. According to Russian media, two missiles that failed to detonate were found by the Syrian military and later transferred to Russia for study.
Regardless of how effective the JASSM will be, supplying the missile to Ukraine will be a serious escalation by the U.S. as it will allow the UAF to attack civilian infrastructure deep in Russian territory, like the Crimean Bridge. This will likely provoke a serious reaction from Russia, who warned in the past that it could arm Washington’s foes.
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