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Ukraine Set to Receive 70 ATACMS and 12 M270 Launchers From Turkey in $280 Million Arms Deal
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Ukraine is set to acquire 12 M270 multiple-launch rocket systems from Turkey together with 70 M39 ATACMS ballistic missiles, more than 2,500 cluster rockets, and tens of thousands of 203-mm artillery shells under a proposed transfer of US-made weapons from Turkish stocks.
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The US State Department notified Congress of the proposed transaction, according to documents published in the Congressional Record on August 6. Defense Express reported on August 8 that the package is part of Turkey’s effort to dispose of older weapons and ammunition while providing Ukraine with systems already compatible with its existing arsenal.
The proposed package includes 12 tracked M270 MLRS launchers, 70 M39 ATACMS missiles, 2,524 M26 227-mm unguided rockets fitted with DPICM cluster warheads, and 47,000 M509A1 203-mm cluster artillery shells. The overall value of the transfer is estimated at approximately $280 million.
Because the weapons were originally produced in the United States, Turkey requires approval from Washington before transferring them to a third country. Congress has 15 calendar days to review the notification. Unless lawmakers adopt a joint resolution blocking the transaction during that period, the transfer can proceed.
The M270 is the tracked counterpart to the wheeled M142 HIMARS and can launch both ATACMS missiles and 227-mm rockets. According to Defense Express, the 12 launchers would represent the remainder of Turkey’s M270 inventory.
The M39, also known as ATACMS Block I or MGM-140A, is the first operational version of the ATACMS family. It has a maximum range of approximately 165 kilometers, or 102 miles, and carries 950 M74 submunitions intended for use against dispersed personnel, lightly protected vehicles, air-defense positions, and other area targets.
Unlike later ATACMS variants capable of reaching roughly 300 kilometers, the M39 has a shorter range. Ukraine has previously used this version of the missile during the war.
The package also includes 2,524 M26 rockets. These unguided 227-mm munitions have a maximum range of roughly 32 kilometers and carry DPICM cluster warheads. Defense Express calculated that the quantity would be sufficient for around 420 full six-rocket HIMARS salvos, or about 210 full 12-rocket M270 salvos.
The 47,000 M509A1 shells could substantially expand ammunition stocks for Ukraine’s 203-mm artillery. The ammunition can be used with systems including the Soviet-designed 2S7 Pion and US-made M110 self-propelled howitzers currently operated by Ukrainian forces.
The transaction is expected to involve Turkish defense companies MKE, ASFAT, and ARCA Savunma, Bulgarian company VTIC International, as well as US contractors Pansophico and Patriot Defense Group.
According to Defense Express, the transfer could begin in 2026 once the required US approval process is completed. For Turkey, the sale would reduce stocks of aging systems while freeing resources for modernization and maintenance of its remaining weapons.
Earlier, Rheinmetall announced that an unnamed NATO member state had ordered several thousand additional 155mm artillery shells and propellant charges for Ukraine, with deliveries expected to be completed by April 2027.
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