Near the "ANTK named after Beriev" in Taganrog, a march stage from the ATACMS ballistic missile was discovered, and the corresponding photo has already spread on social media.
This clearly indicates the type of weapon used in the strike on this aircraft factory, with the first reports appearing on the morning of December 11, 2024.
Prior to this point, there was some confusion: Russian unofficial sources spoke generally about the possible use of ballistic missiles against the aircraft factory in Taganrog without specifying the type, while local authorities mentioned the threat from strike UAVs of the Ukrainian Defense Forces.
Accordingly, the clear indication of the use of American ATACMS missiles emphasizes the historic nature of the strike on the aircraft factory in Taganrog – this is the first publicly known "hit" on a Russian military-industrial complex facility using operational-tactical missiles of Western production since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion.
It should be noted that the specific consequences of the strike on this factory are currently unknown, which in turn makes it impossible to assess which specific variant of ATACMS might have been used – M39A1 (with a cluster warhead weighing 165 kilograms and a launch range of up to 290 kilometers) or M57 (with a unitary warhead weighing 227 kilograms and a launch range of up to 300 kilometers).
In any case, it is worth reminding that Taganrog itself is located 150 kilometers from the current line of combat, and this fact rules out the possibility of using ATACMS in the M39 variant (warhead weight – 560 kilograms, launch range – 165 kilometers).
Furthermore, it is important to recall that the aforementioned "ANTK named after Beriev," which became the target of another strike by the Ukrainian Defense Forces, specializes not only in A-50 radar reconnaissance aircraft but also in anti-submarine Tu-142 aircraft based on the Tu-95. Additionally, this factory serves as a base for various tests of Russian strike UAVs "Orion."
Earlier, Defense Express wrote in one of its publications that to paralyze missile production in Russia, Tomahawk strikes on 12 key factories within a range of up to 1500 kilometers are necessary.