If U.S. Gives Ukraine Long-Range Missiles, What Besides JASSM-ER Could Hit moscow
Early variants of the AGM-158A (considering launch points from F-16AM or Su-24M bases operating near Konotop) pose a threat to numerous military, industrial, and chemical installations in the European part of Russia, reaching as far as Shchyokino.
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In contrast, the low-altitude AGM-158B JASSM-ER—a more advanced version—has a range that can cover the capital of Chuvashia, Cheboksary, Vologda, and even St. Petersburg. However, these figures are not absolute and depend on several factors:
– Depth of missile launch zones in Ukrainian airspace
– Low-altitude flight paths
– Radar evasion (e.g., evading low-altitude sectors of air defense radar coverage)
These paths are planned in real time, taking into account the positions of air defense systems, whose radar activity is continuously tracked by ICEYE radar reconnaissance satellites.
In practice, the effective strike depth tends to be limited to:
– 250–300 km for the AGM-158A
– 650–800 km for the AGM-158B JASSM-ER
Currently deployed tactical aviation platforms can launch a single salvo of 40–60 JASSM/JASSM-ER missiles.
The AGM-158A/B variants can also be equipped with cluster munitions or thermobaric warheads, depending on the mission.
These missiles are capable of disabling command and control infrastructure, hardened aircraft shelters, and military-industrial complexes. The destructive capacity of a single JASSM warhead far exceeds that of floating munitions, such as the "Lyutyi" kamikaze drones, often by an order of magnitude or more.
How will Russia respond to this if the JASSM-ER is indeed deployed to Ukraine?