Ukraine and United States are developing a substitute for the S-300 SAM

6 September, 2024 S-300PS SAM launchers, March 2020. Photo credits: Air Command "East" The United States is working with Ukraine to design and build a substitute for the S-300 surface-to-air missile system and the R-27 air-to-air missile.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin stated this at the opening of the 24th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) in the Ramstein format. "Meanwhile, with help from several European companies, the United States is working with Ukraine to design and build a substitute for the S-300 surface-to-air missile system and the R-27 air-to-air missile," Austin said.

He did not specify what exactly is meant by substitute in terms of the surface-to-air missile system. However, it is most likely a question of developing an analog of a Soviet-era anti-aircraft missile that could be used by existing Ukrainian systems. At the beginning of the Russian invasion, Ukraine had about 25-30 S-300PT/PS divisions in various states of readiness.

2.5 years later, even with the losses incurred, the country still has a significant number of these systems. The main problem today is not the system itself, but the acute shortage of anti-aircraft missiles for them. Ukraine's existing air defense systems use 5V55 missiles, which are no longer produced and are not available on the world market.

5V55 anti-aircraft missile.

Photo from open sources

In 2020, Militarnyi reported that the Ukrainian defense industry was working on modernization and partially localization the production of elements of the S-300 system. In particular, it was about mastering the repair of 5V55 anti-aircraft missiles, as well as replacing the original 48D6 solid fuel engine with a similar Ukrainian-made one. It was reported that the work had actively been underway and that the new engine had already passed a number of ground tests.

The test footage was made public at the time.

Testing of the Ukrainian 48D6 solid fuel rocket motor, 2020. Photo credits: Militarnyi

Replacement of the R-27 missile

Ukraine also had its own designs for a medium-range air-to-air missile with a radar seeker that could replace the Soviet-era R-27 missiles. One of these projects is the UP-277 missile, which was first presented in 2021.

Model of the UP-277 air-to-air missile.

Photo credits: International Exhibition Center

Probably, the main priority of these projects is to replace the scarce models of missile weapons with Soviet-era systems so that Ukraine can continue using them.