Reuters posted a story yesterday reporting that the Biden Administration is close to a decision to provide the AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile, or JASSM, to Ukraine, though it would take months for the first ones to be delivered. The inclusion of JASSM in a weapons package is expected to be announced this autumn, three unnamed sources said, though a final decision has yet to be made.
Sending JASSMs to Ukraine could significantly alter the strategic landscape of the conflict by putting more of Russia in range of powerful, precision-guided munitions, an important concern of the Biden administration, the officials told Reuters. Military analysts have suggested the introduction of JASSMs—which are stealthy and can strike farther than most other missiles in Ukraine’s current inventory—could push Russian staging areas and supply depots back by hundreds of miles. This would severely complicate Russia’s ability to sustain its offensive operations and potentially provide Ukraine with a strategic advantage, it is hoped.
The JASSM has so far only been integrated into U.S.-designed aircraft. Ukraine will ultimately operate several dozen F-16s, each of which can carry two of the cruise missiles. One of the U.S. officials said there were efforts to make the missile operable with non-Western fighter jets in Ukraine’s inventory, which had not been reported previously. Although the official did not provide further detail on which jets in Ukraine’s inventory JASSM could be used, Ukraine operates Soviet-era MiG-29, Su-24 and Su-27 jets.
Giving Ukraine JASSMs would also add pressure for Washington to drop restrictions on how Ukraine uses U.S. weaponry, because their effects would be limited if they were not cleared for use on targets inside Russia, said a Congressional staffer who works on the issue.
