Turkey sells US-made rocket launchers and missiles to Ukraine in $284M deal

Turkey is set to send a substantial package of American-made weaponry to Ukraine, including the long-range ATACMS missiles Kyiv has spent years requesting. The US State Department notified Congress on August 6 of the proposed transfer, which carries an estimated value of roughly $284 million. What’s in the package The centerpiece is 12 M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System launchers, the tracked vehicles that can fire guided and unguided munitions at targets dozens of miles away. Alongside those come 2,524 M26 unguided DPICM cluster rockets and associated equipment, with this portion of the deal valued at approximately $255.9 million. Then there are the missiles Ukraine has been asking for since the early stages of its war with Russia: 70 M39 ATACMS tactical ballistic missiles, valued at around $28 million. These carry an operational range of approximately 165 kilometers, roughly the distance from New York City to Philadelphia. Rounding out the package are 47,000 M509A1 203mm DPICM howitzer rounds. Three Turkish defense entities are named as participants in the transaction: MKE A.S., ASFAT A.S., and ARCA Savunma San. Tic. These firms, along with logistics partners, will facilitate the...