Ukraine is developing two projects of anti-aircraft systems

The Ukrainian defense industry is developing two projects of anti-aircraft missile systems during the war. Oleksandr Kamyshyn, Minister of Strategic Industry, announced this on his social media page. "We have several ongoing projects on which we have activated our work.

Over the past month, two projects have undergone their first flight tests. Both were successful. Readiness is still a long way off, but we are doing everything to speed up the work," Kamyshyn wrote.

By "activation of work," Kamyshyn, presumably, means the further development of pre-war designs. The statement on the first flight tests makes it clear that both projects have already passed the initial design stage and are at the stage of the first prototypes.

Koral SAM

The Minister did not announce the details and names of promising weapons, but the illustration attached to the message shows a Koral medium-range anti-aircraft missile. It is not known whether she was chosen intentionally or accidentally.

Koral missile model at the Arms and Security 2021 exhibition

R&D work for the system development has been carried out since 2016 by the Luch Design Bureau according to the decision of the then Minister of Defense of Ukraine Stepan Poltorak.

It is reported in the manufacturer's public statements that the design firing range with an anti-aircraft missile will reach 30-40 kilometers, and its maximum altitude will be 10 kilometers. The latter parameter is somewhat strange, as all anti-aircraft missiles with a similar range have an altitude of about 20 kilometers. Presumably, the underestimated parameter was announced based on the minimum altitude characteristics that they plan to achieve.

The Head of the Luch DB has repeatedly emphasized that a large percentage of units of the new missile are ready, because their technologies have been developed for previous projects. This regards a solid fuel engine, a homing system, reaction control system, and an inertial system. Two interchangeable homing heads were developed for the missile: the active radar one and thermal one.

RK-10

Among the SAM projects that were at the development stage, the short-range anti-aircraft missile system with a RK-10 missile, also being developed by the Luch DKKB, is easily distinguished.

In December 2021, two months before the Russian invasion, the manufacturer published a video of the fire tests of the system.

The launch of the anti-aircraft version of the RK-10 missile. December 2021. Image: Defense Express

The missile guidance and control system that remained traditional for the Luch Design Bureau products is a laser beam with the tracking of the target in automatic mode.

It is expected that the new system will be able to fight air targets in a direct line of sight at a distance of up to 10 km and an altitude of up to 5 km. The production scheme of RK-10 missiles greatly intersects with the already established production of RK-2 guided missiles to the Stugna-P anti-tank missile system. This would allow you to immediately start mass production at ready-made facilities.

SAM with RIM-7 missile

There is also a possibility of modernizing Soviet air defense systems, such as the Kub and Buk, to use with American AIM-7 Sparrow anti-aircraft missiles.

The transfer of these missiles was reported at the end of May this year. Integration of Western missiles on the platform of Soviet-era systems is a forced solution in the face of an increase in the shortage of ammunition, which is constantly spent to shoot down Russian cruise missiles and drones. Instead, AIM-7 are unclaimed in large numbers in Allied depots.

The AIM-7 missile is capable of shooting down targets at a maximum range of 19 km and at an altitude of up to 15 km.