Ukraine may receive ATACMS with cluster warheads next week — report

Dan Rice, a former U.S. Army officer who previously served as a special adviser to Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi, told Newsweek the missiles could “turn the tide” in Ukraine’s favor.

“Approval is likely this week on HIMARS cluster rockets,” said Rice.

“Getting approval this week for HIMARS DPICM will be a game changer. And with no training and change needed, it will likely be on the battlefield next week, making a huge difference. When those rockets launch, they break the sound barrier. To me, that's the sound of freedom.”

The ATACMS M39 missile, with a range of approximately 160 kilometers, as well as the shorter-range M26 and M26A missiles equipped with cluster munitions, could become a powerful tool in Kyiv’s arsenal, according to Rice.

During his meeting with Zelenskyy on Sept. 21, Biden promised to transfer “a small number” of ATACMS rockets to Kyiv, NBC News reported on Sept. 22, citing three U.S. officials and a congressional source.

According to the Financial Times, the United States decided to provide Ukraine with ATACMS missiles even before Zelenskyy's visit to Washington, but chose not to announce it publicly to avoid tipping off the Russians.