Ukraine and the United States combine American missiles with Soviet weapons systems

The effort has largely combined American missiles with Soviet launchers or radars, modernizing Cold War technology. The combination appears to be working, signaling that it could improve Ukraine’s defense capabilities at a time when they matter most.

According to the Kyiv Independent, over the weekend, Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yurii Ihnat said in an interview that Ukraine had successfully converted a Soviet air defense system to fire US-supplied missiles and was testing this combination in the US. “We have achieved positive results using the Buk-M1 anti-aircraft missile launcher system in the US, after it was converted to use US missiles,” he said.

In late October, US officials said the tests had been conducted over the past several months, including pairing Buk-M1 systems with US RIM-7 Sea Sparrow missiles, and Soviet-era radars with US AIM-9M Sidewinder missiles. Reports earlier this year suggested that Ukraine had found a way to modify Soviet-era Buk systems to fire RIM-7 missiles.

Ukraine has adapted Soviet systems to fire other missiles due to tight supplies and the inability to buy more missiles from Russia, Ihnat revealed.

The US and its Western allies have supplied Ukraine with air defense systems such as the Patriot, IRIS-T, NASAM and Gepard anti-aircraft guns, but Ukraine still operates a number of Soviet-era systems, most notably the Buk and S-300 systems. However, they are running out of missiles after using them at extremely high frequencies to counter Russian airstrikes. In contrast, the US has a large number of Sea Sparrow missiles and other surface-to-air missiles that it can provide. The biggest challenge is integrating the two systems.

World - Ukraine and the US combine American missiles with Soviet weapons systems — Photo: US Navy

The Pentagon has recently prioritized integrating Ukraine’s air defense components before Russia attacks in the winter, under a program called FrankenSAM. Ukraine and the United States have long cooperated in integrating Soviet and American weapons. For example, in September 2022, Ukraine, through some creative methods, equipped its MiG-29s with AGM-88 HARM missiles. The previous American weapon was not suitable for Soviet fighters, but some physical changes and launch methods were applied.

At the time, the head of US Air Forces in Europe said it was “a herculean effort” to integrate these missiles with Ukraine’s MiGs. “Are they integrated on the MiGs like they are on the F-16s? Of course not. So they don’t have all the capabilities that they have on the F-16s,” said Gen. James Hecker. But they are operational, allowing Ukraine to shoot down Russian radars.

The new weapons excited Ukraine, showing that it could make changes to its Soviet systems, such as firing American missiles from self-propelled launchers and firing Soviet Buk medium-range surface-to-air missiles. Then, in January, the United States announced that it would provide Sea Sparrow missiles in aid packages. Officials said at the time that Ukraine would be able to combine the Sea Sparrow with the Buk, making Kyiv’s forces only the second in the world to be able to fire the ground-based version of the missile.

That creative potential demonstrates Ukraine’s ability to improvise and adapt its arsenal, and a recent example is the R-360 Neptune anti-ship cruise missiles modified for land attack. The Neptune missiles have been surprisingly successful in their new mission, destroying Russia’s formidable S-400 air defense system in Crimea.

World - Ukraine and the United States combine American missiles with Soviet weapons systems (Figure 2). — Photo: US Navy

The FrankenSAM air defense project comes at a pivotal time for Ukraine, with the counteroffensive likely to last through the winter and Russia preparing to launch an offensive in several areas while simultaneously bolstering its defenses.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced a new aid package for Ukraine in late October that included air defense systems and a Patriot system, saying: “As winter approaches, we will put in place a defensive shield against Russian attacks on energy, water and heating facilities. This is because Russia will clearly once again use the cold climate and energy shortages as weapons against civilians.”

In late October, a Ukrainian official mentioned the use of AIM-9 air-to-air missiles for surface-to-air purposes: “We have figured out how to launch them from the ground. It is like a homemade air defense system.”

The official also said the system would help Ukraine “get through the winter.”

Nguyen Quang Minh (according to Business Insider)

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