In the Russia-Ukraine war, America has now made such a move that it will kill the snake and not break the stick. That is, in a way, it will get Russia attacked with its weapons and the restrictions imposed on Ukraine for not using its weapons in Russia’s geographical border will also remain as they are. A Reuters report says that America has decided to give Ukraine long-range cruise missiles JASSM. The report says that Washington and Kiev are close to an agreement for this weapon. JASSM are those missiles which will be launched from the border of Ukraine but will go deep inside Russia and wreak havoc.
The report said that former US Army Commander Lieutenant General Ben Hodges has welcomed the US decision to give JASSM missiles to Ukraine. Hodges has long been demanding that Kiev be given weapons with long-range strike capability so that it can fight on the front lines against Russia. He said that this work should have been done earlier. Ukraine has been constantly asking permission from all Western countries including the US to supply and use long-range weapons, but the US has been shying away from it. The US fears that the use of Western weapons in Russian regions will not only lead to the fear of conflict escalation but will also increase the possibility of use of nuclear weapons and outbreak of world war.
What are JASSM missiles?
Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSM) are joint air-to-surface standoff missiles that can be launched in the air from fighter planes like F-16 and can destroy their targets on the surface. These are cruise missiles with a range of 530 km to 925 km. They are fitted with GPS navigation system, which is accurate in hitting the target. These missiles are also equipped with infrared homing, which are capable of identifying the target independently.
It weighs 450 kg. It is loaded with 109 kg of explosives. The cost of one JASSM is 30 lakh dollars. An F-16 fighter plane can carry two JASSM missiles. While targeting, these missiles can penetrate up to 79 feet inside the earth. This can cause havoc at enemy positions. It can penetrate any kind of concrete fort. It can be difficult to detect this missile with radar, due to which its striking power is infallible.
Ukraine’s capacity will increase unprecedentedly
America has already supplied F-16 fighter planes to Ukraine. Now with the availability of JASSM missiles, not only will the capability of F-16 fighter planes increase, but the Ukrainian army will be able to cause massive destruction in Crimea and other Russian regions while staying within its geographical boundaries. The availability of these missiles will increase Ukraine’s war capability and it will be able to strategically destroy Russian bases without entering Russia. Apart from this, it will be able to destroy missile attacks from Russia in the air itself.