Ukraine is preparing to receive a large consignment of American weapons from Turkey, including 70 M39 ATACMS ballistic missiles, 12 M270 MLRS rocket systems, 2,524 M26 unguided rockets and 47,000 203-mm M509A1 cluster artillery rounds. The information is contained in the official Congressional Record of the US Senate dated 6 August 2026. The US State Department has informed Congress of its readiness to authorise the operation, and it is proposed that the actual transfer take place once the prescribed period for notifying Congress has elapsed.
Briefly about the main points
- Turkey plans to supply Ukraine with 70 M39 ATACMS ballistic missiles.
- The package also includes 12 M270 MLRS launchers.
- Ukraine may receive 2,524 M26 DPICM missiles and 47,000 203-mm M509A1 cluster munitions.
- Information about the planned transfer appeared in the US Senate’s Congressional Record.
- The US State Department has informed Congress that it is prepared to authorise the transfer of arms.
- The actual transfer is due to take place once the prescribed review procedure in Congress has been completed.
70 M39 ATACMS missiles for Ukraine
A separate statement from the US State Department concerns the transfer to Ukraine 70 M39 ATACMS missiles from Turkish stocks. The initial purchase cost of this consignment is estimated in the document at approximately $28 million, but that does not mean that this is exactly how much Ukraine is paying for the current operation.
The Congressional Record explicitly states that Turkey is seeking to reduce its stockpiles of older weapons systems in order to channel resources into modernising its own forces. Ukraine, for its part, wishes to acquire these systems to bolster its offensive and defensive firepower in the war against Russia.
The transfer of ATACMS is to take place via a Turkish company MKE AŞ, as well as the American companies Pansophico and Patriot Defense Group.
M39 — early cassette version ATACMS. It has a shorter range than the later 300-kilometre variants of the system, but is designed to engage area targets with a large number of submunitions.
A further 12 M270 launchers and thousands of rockets
The second package is considerably larger in terms of the range of items. Turkey is offering to provide Ukraine with:
- 12 M270 MLRS;
- 2,524 M26 DPICM rockets;
- 47,000 M509A1 203 mm artillery shells.
The initial purchase cost of this weaponry is stated in US documents as approximately $255.9 million. Again, we are talking about the original acquisition value, not necessarily the price of the current deal with Ukraine.
The transfer scheme also involves the Turkish companies MKE, ASFAT and ARCA Savunma, the Bulgarian company VTIC International, and the American companies Pansophico and Patriot Defense Group.
The M270 can launch both GMLRS and ATACMS
The M270 is a tracked multiple launch rocket system and utilises two launch containers. Modern variants of the platform are compatible with the MLRS family of munitions, including GMLRS and ATACMS. Lockheed Martin states that the M270 can carry up to 12 GMLRS rockets or two ATACMS rockets at the same time.
Therefore, the transfer of 12 additional launchers at once not only increases the number of available launch platforms for ATACMS, but also enhances Ukraine’s ability to deploy other munitions from the MLRS family.
It is important to note that the Congressional Record makes no mention of any additional transfers under this specific agreement GMLRS — The document specifically mentions the M270, M26, M509A1 and a separate batch of M39 ATACMS.
The US is prepared to authorise the transfer
As the ATACMS and M270 are of American origin, Turkey cannot simply transfer them to a third country without the necessary authorisation from the US.
The State Department has announced that the US government Ready to authorise the transfer, taking into account military, political, economic, human rights and arms control issues. The report was submitted to Congress 3 August 2026, and was published in the Congressional Record on 6 August.
Senator Jim Risch explained in a post that the law provides for 30 calendar days for consideration by Congress the relevant notifications regarding the transfer of arms. The documents themselves provide for the transfer to take place immediately upon the expiry of this period.
Consequently, the documents that have been made public provide strong evidence of preparations for a major arms transfer to Ukraine, but for the time being do not confirm that all 70 ATACMS and 12 M270s have already been physically delivered to the Ukrainian armed forces.
The package will significantly boost Ukraine’s long-haul capabilities
The combination of additional M270 launchers and a large consignment of ATACMS is of particular significance. The M270s can use the same families of missile munitions as the HIMARS, but carry twice as many launch containers.
Official US documentation explicitly states that the aim of the transfer is to strengthen Ukraine’s offensive and defensive fire support in its confrontation with the Russian invasion.
If the process is completed without any hold-ups and the weapons are delivered in the stated quantities, Ukraine will receive one of the largest publicly disclosed consignments of ammunition for MLRS systems in recent times.
