Turkey is preparing to transfer a substantial package of U.S.-origin rocket artillery systems and munitions to Ukraine, including 70 M39 Army Tactical Missile System missiles and 12 M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System launchers, according to U.S. State Department notifications submitted to Congress.
The proposed transfers also include 2,524 M26 unguided rockets fitted with Dual-Purpose Improved Conventional Munition cluster warheads and 47,000 M509A1 203 mm DPICM artillery rounds. The State Department said the equipment would be transferred permanently from the Turkish government to Ukraine through a group of Turkish, Bulgarian and U.S. private entities.
The two notifications, delivered to Congress on Aug. 3 and published in the Congressional Record, list an original acquisition value of about $255.9 million for the M270 launchers, M26 rockets and 203 mm ammunition, while the 70 M39 missiles carry a separate original acquisition value of about $28 million. Those figures describe the equipment’s original acquisition value and do not necessarily represent the amount Ukraine will pay.
The State Department said Washington was prepared to authorize the transfers after considering political, military, economic, human rights and arms-control factors. The documents say the transfer is expected to proceed immediately after the required congressional notification period is completed.
According to the notices, Turkey is seeking to reduce its inventory of older defense equipment as it directs resources toward modernization and sustainment of its existing systems. Ukraine, meanwhile, is seeking the weapons to strengthen its offensive and defensive fire-support capabilities against Russia.
The M39 is an early variant of the ATACMS family and can be launched by both M270 and HIMARS systems. The U.S. Army describes the missile as a guided surface-to-surface weapon capable of striking targets roughly 100 miles away and carrying hundreds of M74 submunitions. The tracked M270 carries up to 12 MLRS rockets and can also launch ATACMS missiles, giving Ukraine another launcher platform for both types of ammunition.
The transfer would add both long-range strike capability and a large volume of older cluster-based artillery ammunition to Ukraine’s existing inventory. The congressional documents note that Kyiv already operates weapons or munitions of the same or essentially similar types.
