Army Tactical Missile System / ATACMS

Also known as

ATACMS
MGM-140 ATACMS
MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System
ATACMS Block I
ATACMS Block 1
M39 ATACMS
M39 Army Tactical Missile System
MGM-140A ATACMS
MGM-140A Block I
MGM-140A Block 1
M39A1 ATACMS
M48 ATACMS
MGM-140E ATACMS
M57 ATACMS
M57E1 ATACMS

The Army Tactical Missile System, commonly known as ATACMS, is a U.S. solid-fuel short-range ballistic missile fired from M270 MLRS and M142 HIMARS launchers. Its family spans M39/Block I cluster-warhead missiles, extended-range Block IA rounds, and later unitary-warhead variants, with documented combat use by U.S. forces in the 1990 Gulf War and 2003 Iraq War, transfer to Ukraine for long-range strikes, and later U.S. maritime-strike use during Operation Epic Fury.

Army Tactical Missile System / ATACMS, Short-range tactical ballistic missile, Artillery

Image source: ATACMSMay2006.jpg

Role in Conflicts

Side: Coalition forces

U.S. Army sources and CSIS identify Operation Desert Storm in the 1990 Gulf War as ATACMS's entry into combat service after late-1980s testing.

Role details

Side: United States and coalition forces

Lockheed Martin's reliability reporting says ATACMS missiles were fired in Operation Iraqi Freedom, with hundreds of combat firings across the Iraq campaign.

Role details

Side: Ukraine

Ukraine first used U.S.-supplied ATACMS in October 2023 against Russian-occupied airfields; AP described the initial missiles as shorter-range cluster-warhead rounds, while monitoring and specialist sources identify the transfer as M39 Block I with M74 submunitions. U.S. officials later confirmed longer-range ATACMS deliveries and use in April 2024.

Role details

Side: United States
Role in conflict: Long-range precision strike and maritime interdiction

U.S. Army and Marine artillery launched ATACMS during Operation Epic Fury from outside Iran; reporting citing Gen. Dan Caine said Army ATACMS were used to sink multiple Iranian ships, including a submarine.

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin: United States
Built by: Lockheed Martin
Type: Short-range tactical ballistic missile
Service note: 1991-present service; documented from the 1990 Gulf War through the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War and Operation Epic Fury in 2026
Designer: Ling-Temco-Vought
Designed: 1980s
Unit cost: More than $1 million per missile, depending on variant
Produced: Low-rate M39 production from 1988; later Block IA, unitary, and life-extension modernization activity
Number built: More than 1,600 MGM-140A/M39 missiles and hundreds of later variants built by the early 2000s
Developed into: Precision Strike Missile

Specifications

Range: About 165 km for Block I; up to about 300 km for Block IA and unitary variants
Launch platform: M270 MLRS and M142 HIMARS family launchers
Guidance: Inertial guidance; later variants add GPS-aided inertial guidance
Warhead: Unitary high-explosive or submunition payloads depending on variant
M39 / Block I payload: About 950 M74 antipersonnel and antimateriel submunitions in a 560 kg class warhead
M39 / Block I guidance: Inertial guidance without the later Block IA GPS-aided update
Payload: About 560 kg class payload, depending on variant
Propulsion: Solid-fuel rocket motor
Length: 3.98 m
Diameter: 0.61 m
Launch weight: About 1,321-1,673 kg depending on variant

M39 Block I Profile

The M39, also known as MGM-140A or ATACMS Block I, is the baseline cluster-warhead branch of the family. It is a solid-fuel, inertially guided surface-to-surface missile fired from M270 MLRS and M142 HIMARS launchers.

Payload

About 950 M74 antipersonnel and antimateriel submunitions in a 560 kg class warhead.

Range

About 165 km for the Block I/M39 configuration.

Guidance

Inertial guidance; GPS-aided guidance belongs to Block IA and later family branches.

Variant And Payload Families

ATACMS is best read as a missile family rather than a single round. The most visible split is between early area-effects submunition missiles and later unitary-warhead missiles for point targets.

Family	Payload pattern	Reader note
M39 / M39A1	M74 submunitions	Early Block I and Block IA missiles trade payload count, guidance, and range across the cluster-warhead branch.
MGM-140E / M57	Unitary high explosive	Later unitary variants focus ATACMS on precision point targets rather than wide-area submunition effects.
M57E1	Modernized unitary missile	Life-extension work reuses selected older Block I components, removes bomblets from retired warheads, and keeps the ATACMS inventory useful while PrSM enters service.

Variants

ATACMS designations separate early cluster-warhead Block I and Block IA missiles from later quick-reaction and unitary-warhead missiles, while M57E1 denotes a life-extension and modernization path for older rounds.

Variant	Configuration	Designation notes
M39 / MGM-140A Block I	Cluster-warhead baseline missile	The early Block I configuration, known in U.S. Army service as M39, used inertial guidance and carried about 950 M74 antipersonnel and antimateriel submunitions to a maximum range of about 165 km. Sources: MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS), Lockheed Martin (LTV) MGM-140 ATACMS
M39A1 / MGM-140B Block IA	Extended-range cluster-warhead missile	Block IA reduced the submunition payload and added GPS-aided inertial guidance for longer range. Sources: MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS)
Block IA Unitary / MGM-140E	Unitary-warhead missile	The Block IA unitary branch replaced the submunition payload with a high-explosive warhead for point targets; MGM-164A refers instead to the separate Block II/BAT lineage. Sources: MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS), Lockheed Martin (LTV) MGM-140 ATACMS
M57 / MGM-168A	Unitary-warhead missile	The M57 family is a later unitary-warhead ATACMS configuration used for precision strike missions. Sources: MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS)
M57E1	Life-extended modernized missile	The M57E1 modernization recapitalizes older inventory with updated components and a unitary warhead configuration. Sources: First Modernized TACMS Missile Successfully Engages Target

Launch Platforms

ATACMS is fired from launchers that can also handle guided rocket pods, giving the missile a road-mobile deep-strike role.

Firing weapon	Weapon type	Firing evidence
M270 MLRS	Tracked launcher	CSIS and U.S. Army sources describe ATACMS Block I/M39 as fired from modified M270 MLRS launch vehicles. Sources: MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS), Fort Sill Battalion Test Fires High-Tech Missile
M142 HIMARS	Wheeled launcher	CSIS says a single ATACMS can be carried by M142 HIMARS, and a U.S. Army live-fire article documents an M39 Block I launch from HIMARS. Sources: MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS), Fort Sill Battalion Test Fires High-Tech Missile

Firing weapon

Weapon type

Firing evidence

M270 MLRS

Tracked launcher

CSIS and U.S. Army sources describe ATACMS Block I/M39 as fired from modified M270 MLRS launch vehicles.

Sources: MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS), Fort Sill Battalion Test Fires High-Tech Missile

M142 HIMARS

Wheeled launcher

CSIS says a single ATACMS can be carried by M142 HIMARS, and a U.S. Army live-fire article documents an M39 Block I launch from HIMARS.

Sources: MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS), Fort Sill Battalion Test Fires High-Tech Missile

Timeline

Army Tactical Missile System / ATACMS Key Events

Jan 1, 1989
Testing wraps before first wartime service
CSIS says ATACMS testing wrapped in 1989, setting up the missile's 1991 entry into U.S. service.
Sources: MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS)
Jan 1, 1991
ATACMS enters service
CSIS says ATACMS entered service in 1991 for use in the Persian 1990 Gulf War after testing wrapped in 1989.
Sources: MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS)
Jan 1, 2003
Large-scale combat firing in Iraq
Lockheed Martin described Operation Iraqi Freedom as the missile family's largest combat-use period, with hundreds of ATACMS fired.
Sources: ATACMS Long-Term Reliability Validation
Aug 16, 2016
Modernized TACMS test succeeds
Lockheed Martin announced a successful modernized TACMS flight test as part of recapitalizing older ATACMS inventory.
Sources: First Modernized TACMS Missile Successfully Engages Target
Oct 17, 2023
Ukraine confirms first ATACMS use
Ukraine publicly confirmed using U.S.-provided ATACMS after strikes on Russian-occupied airfields; AP described the initial missiles as shorter-range cluster-warhead ATACMS and later monitoring identified M39 Block I transfers.
Sources: Ukraine Confirms Use of US-Provided ATACMS, Ukraine Uses US-Provided ATACMS Against Russian Forces, United States Cluster Munition Ban Policy
Apr 24, 2024
Longer-range missiles reported in Ukrainian use
AP reported that Ukraine used longer-range ATACMS secretly provided by the United States against Russian-held areas.
Sources: Ukraine Uses Long-Range Missiles Secretly Provided by US
Mar 1, 2026
ATACMS reported in maritime strike role
Business Insider and The War Zone reported ATACMS use during Operation Epic Fury against Iranian naval targets.
Sources: US Troops Used ATACMS Missile to Sink Iranian Ships, Submarine, U.S. Striking Iranian Navy Ships With Ballistic Missiles

Modernization And Replacement

ATACMS remained operational through testing, reliability work, and recapitalization of older rounds. U.S. Army coverage frames Precision Strike Missile as the next-generation replacement for ATACMS, while the older missile family continues to appear in combat and security-assistance reporting.

Media