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The Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) Block II Missile is manufactured by Lockheed Martin. The missile has a range of 128 km and is a surface-to-surface missile (SSM). The Block I missile contained 950 M74 submunitions. The Block IA missile contained 275 M74 submunitions, this reduction in payload resulted in a greater range.[1] A new system, currently in development, has revamped the missile, with a 500lb warhead and new guidance systems that allow for a near vertical attack vector, allowing for greater use in mountainous or urban terrain. A recent test of this "block 2" missile was shown on an episode of Future Weapons. The ATACMS can be fired from MLRS launchers, including the M270, M270 IPDS, M270A1, and HIMARS. A ATACMS launch container has a lid which has 6 circles pattern like an ordinarily MLRS rockets' lid for imitating 6 rockets. The first use of the ATACMS in a combat capability was during Operation Desert Storm, a total of 32 missiles were fired from the M270 MLRS. During the Operation Iraqi Freedom more than 450 missiles were fired.[2] South Korean Army has also purchased 111 ATACMS Block I & 110 ATACMS Block IA.
