The Ukrainian military has acquired modernized Buk-M1 anti-aircraft systems, now integrated with US-supplied Sea Sparrow missiles, with Ukraine’s Air Command East’s press service releasing photos of the upgraded equipment.
Previously, the Ukrainian military decided to integrate Western RIM-7 anti-aircraft missiles into Soviet-era Buk-M1 systems due to dwindling stocks of the original 9M38 missiles.
The photos feature missileers alongside a 9A310M1 self-propelled launcher and a 9A39 launcher from the Buk-M1 system, now upgraded with compact launch containers for RIM-7 Sea Sparrow missiles, concealed by camouflage nets, according to Militarnyi.
“The layout of the missile launch containers on the system’s munitions is unknown, but the self-propelled launchers can carry up to four missiles. Presumably, the process of loading them takes place with the help of a vehicle with a crane,” Militarnyi notes.
A US-led initiative, launched in 2023 as a joint American-Ukrainian project, known as FrankenSAM is designed to bolster Ukraine’s air defense capabilities. It integrates Western air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles into Soviet-era systems in Ukraine, with components supplied under Military Technical Assistance. The systems are produced concurrently in the US and Ukraine, with similar initiatives underway in the UK.
In November 2023, the Air Command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces confirmed the integration of Buk-M1 systems with RIM-7 missiles.
At the same time, this upgrade limited the system’s potential due to the missiles’ lower performance, according to Air Force spokesman Yurii Ihnat. The modified systems provide protection within a smaller radius, with Sea Sparrow missiles primarily helping to safeguard critical infrastructure facilities.
The RIM-7 missile has modest capabilities, hitting air targets up to 20,000 meters away and 15,000 meters in altitude, compared to the 9M38, which can intercept targets up to 32,000 meters away and 20,000 meters in altitude.
“However, it is possible that Ukraine could have received more advanced ESSM missiles, which were designed to be launched from the same installations as the Sea Sparrow. They are capable of intercepting air targets at a distance of more than 50 kilometers and at an altitude of 23-25 kilometers,” Militarnyi noted.
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