US May Soon Agree to Provide Ukrainian F-16s Long-Range Ground Attack Missiles

US officials said Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSM) might be included in Washington’s autumn aid package for Ukraine, Reuters reported Tuesday, Aug. 3.

Speaking anonymously in an unauthorized discussion, three sources told Reuters that Washington was close to an agreement but has yet to finalize its decision to allow deep strikes with long-range air-to-ground weapons.

However, the sources added that once confirmed, deliveries could still take months as Washington would need to work through technical issues before shipment. 

With its long-range and stealth capabilities, JASSM deliveries to Ukraine could vastly strengthen Kyiv’s ability to conduct deep strikes.

 The AGM-158 JASSM is an American precision-guided all-weather air-to-ground cruise missile with a maximum range of 980 kilometers (609 miles), depending on the version, as outlined in a Kyiv Post analysis,

The missiles’ range would theoretically allow Ukraine to strike more than a dozen Russian airfields from within Ukraine, including one in Kaliningrad, Reuters reported.

The F-16s transferred to Ukraine would carry two JASSM missiles simultaneously. Like the British Storm Shadow missile, the American AGM-158 JASSM uses stealth technology. Carbon-based composite materials widely used in the weapon significantly reduce its radar reflectivity, making it difficult for air defenses to detect.

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However, the provision of JASSMs would likely require Washington to alter its policy on deep strikes inside Russia, where it has thus far restricted Ukraine from attacking targets inside Russia with US-provided weaponry beyond the immediate border regions.

Western officials also said the newly arrived F-16s would likely focus on air defense missions in their initial deployments rather than ground strikes.

On Aug. 26, Ukraine lost an F-16 during Russia’s massive strike on the country’s power grid. Investigations are ongoing to establish the cause behind the incident, with some speculating that friendly fire was to blame, a notion the Pentagon described as unlikely.