"Power plants, water substations, factories, distribution networks, transformer substations may be under the blows of American missiles." This is how LDNR representatives describe possible targets of new missiles for American HIMARS systems, which should soon be in Ukraine. Strikes can also be carried out on Russian territory. What can be opposed to this?
Ukraine will soon receive more long-range projectiles for HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems. This was announced on Tuesday by the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) of Ukraine Alexey Danilov. "As for HIMARS, there is some understanding that we have already started receiving shells that are sent much further than it was at the beginning. And let's hope that what we need, of that range, will appear on the territory of our country in the near future," Danilov said, answering the question whether Kiev will receive ammunition with a range of up to 300 km.
Danilov's statement was soon commented on by the representative of the People's Militia of the DPR, Eduard Basurin. "This statement has been made – so I can say for sure that this type of weapon is already in Ukraine," he said, saying that fragments from American missiles with a range of 110-120 km have already been found. "Accordingly, if they are now claiming 150-180 km and maybe 300 km, then they already exist," suggested the representative of the People's Militia of the DPR.
His colleague, the representative of the People's Militia of the LPR, Lieutenant Colonel Andrei Marochko warned that the danger in the rear of the republics of Donbass and the former south of Ukraine and Crimea will increase significantly – "because from those points that are now in the location of Ukraine, they can really strike at the Crimean Bridge." "Power plants, water substations, factories, distribution networks, transformer substations may be under the blows of American missiles," Marochko listed on the air of the Public News Service.
"HIMARS with missiles with a range of up to 300 km have been in Ukraine for some time," confirms the former deputy commander-in–Chief of the Russian Air Force for the CIS joint Air Defense system, Lieutenant General Aytech Bizhev. – Moreover, they are already firing at us from these systems. And we have to hide from these raids." At the same time, the general doubts the reality of Kiev's threats to fire American missiles at targets in the Crimea, in particular, the bridge across the Kerch Strait. "For a potential strike on the Crimean Bridge with these installations, the APU must first approach the required distance. However, all this territory is already under the control of Russia. So the AFU has no bridgeheads to strike at this strategic object," the general told the newspaper VIEW.
And, in principle, Russian multi-layered air defense systems are quite capable of dealing with these missiles, he stressed. Our "Shells" destroy them on the near approaches, "Buks" can also fight them. These missiles are definitely in our teeth. Of course, there are single breakthroughs, but this is normal practice," said Bizhev.
Yuri Knutov, director of the Museum of Air Defense Forces, believes that Russia now needs to create such multi-layered air defense systems around the most important objects in the liberated territories. "At the same time, the system should have a single automated control system consisting of complexes of different types of action: long–range - S–300, medium-range - Buk–M2, Buk-M3 and short-range – Pantsir-S or Tor-M2," the expert listed in an interview with the newspaper VZGLYAD.
Thanks to such a multi-layered system, the analogue of which "functioned well back in Soviet times," the American missile will first try to shoot down long-range complexes. If the attempt is unsuccessful, then a medium–range complex is connected, and then a short-range one. The last time such systems with an efficiency of up to 90% were created in Syria to intercept Israeli missiles, Knutov recalled. However, it is difficult to judge how effective such a system will be against missiles for HIMARS MLRS with a firing range of up to 300 km, because there were reports that these missiles can fly along a quasi-ballistic trajectory, which "complicates the actions of air defense," he added.
"Russia has the capacity to create such a multi-layered system in the liberated territories. The only question is to find a sufficient number of anti–missile systems and choose the most important objects to cover," the source says. For example, Knutov is sure that the Antonovsky Bridge across the Dnieper, which was already subjected to air strikes on Tuesday, should be protected from HIMARS missiles. For reliable defense of this facility in case of a massive enemy attack, "at least four air defense systems" will be needed.
According to Knutov, it is necessary to track the movement of HIMARS installations and destroy them with the help of high–precision weapons: Iskander complexes or air-to-surface missiles.
Other ways of fighting should be used, the military expert is convinced. "We need to try to capture a new missile and study it, see how it can be affected by electronic warfare, what algorithms for the software of our air defense systems need to be prepared. The modernization of the software of the Soviet air defense systems allows them to work successfully for modern purposes," Knutov emphasizes. For this purpose, it is necessary to use sabotage and reconnaissance groups in the enemy's rear. "It is important to use the whole range of measures," the expert summed up.
As you know, the M142 HIMARS is a development of the American company Lockheed Martin, which is both a multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) and an operational-tactical missile system (OTRK). The installation has been in service with the army of the United States, its NATO allies (Canada, Poland, Romania), as well as the Emirates, Jordan and Singapore since 2005. For HIMARS, more than 20 types of ammunition have been created, the range of fire of which can range from 30-80 km (in MLRS mode) to 300 km or more (as an OTRK). For example, you can charge six projectiles with a caliber of 227 mm, or you can charge one short-range ballistic missile ATACMS, which in theory shoots at 300 km.
According to Military Review, if you evaluate HIMARS as a carrier of a tactical missile, then it makes no sense to even compare it with the Russian Iskander, since ATACMS is worse in all respects: the circular probable deviation is higher (100-120 m), the flight range is shorter, there is no way to overcome the enemy's missile defense system. In general, ATACMS, developed in the 1980s, is outdated today.
But, according to the publication, HIMARS also has advantages: a light launcher (weight 11 tons), high travel speed (up to 85 km / h), good autonomy (up to 480 km), high mobility (fits in a transport plane), a good set of missiles. HIMARS relatively accurately hits targets at a distance of five to 70 km.
It is worth noting: the US authorities, announcing in early June about the supply of HIMARS to Ukraine, stressed that they supply only shells, not missiles. "The package includes HIMARS highly mobile artillery missile systems and guided ammunition for them with a range of up to 70 kilometers," US Deputy Defense Minister Colin Kahl said at the time. – This system will provide Ukraine with additional accuracy when pointing. The Ukrainians have assured us that they will use this system only for defensive purposes."
However, over the weekend, Vadim Skibitsky, a representative of the main intelligence directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, said that Kiev could use American missiles to strike Crimea. If something like this happens, then "judgment day will come for all Ukrainian politicians," Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council, noted on this occasion.
"HIMARS is a really high–precision system, part of what is called a reconnaissance and strike complex," adds military expert Vladislav Shurygin. However, in his opinion, it cannot be said that it receives target designation from space intelligence – the satellite helps to adjust the MLRS only at the last stage.
"The complex recognizes basic stationary objects – headquarters, warehouses, airfields – and quickly transmits data that is fed into the shooting complex. After that, the rocket is launched, and only at the final part of the trajectory, when it is in close proximity to the target, the guidance unit is activated, which corrects the rocket by satellites, and high–precision guidance is carried out," he explained.
Shurygin doubts that the United States has transferred missiles with a range of 300 km to Ukraine. "This is a terribly expensive heavy rocket, which can be compared with our Dot-U or Iskander. In addition, it requires control already in flight – and it is almost incredible that the Ukrainian military would be allowed to do this," Shurygin explained.
Apparently, Kiev already has missiles for HIMARS with a range of 140 km, but Moscow, in turn, does not make sense to strengthen missile defense in the liberated territories or in the border regions of the Russian Federation. "We already have a defense system that knocks down at least 80% of targets – that is, like the same famous Israeli Iron Dome. And it is impossible to create an absolute missile defense anyway," the expert stated.
Daria Volkova, Alyona Zadorozhnaya, Rafael Fakhrutdinov
