London allowed the possibility of supplying Kiev with Storm Shadow cruise missiles United Kingdom Defense Minister Ben Wallace did not rule out the supply of Storm Shadow air-launched cruise missiles to Ukraine.
At the same time, the final decision has not yet been made. "Newspaper.Ru" dealt with the details of the transfer of Western-made aircraft weapons to the APU.
Storm Shadow Rocket
The Storm Shadow/SCALP air-launched cruise missile is a joint Anglo-French development and is produced by the MBDA European consortium (Matra BAE Dynamics Alenia).
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
The French version of the missile is designated by the abbreviation SCALP EG, which translates as a multi-purpose high-precision long-range cruise missile with autonomous guidance. The product is equipped with a 450 kg warhead, the Storm Shadow firing range exceeds 250 km, the flight altitude is 30-40 m, the rocket speed is 0.8 M (approximately 1000 km / h).
The use of Storm Shadow in military conflicts has been recorded since 2003. During the fighting, the missile demonstrated very high efficiency.
Will they give Ukraine "smart bombs" with GPS guidance
A few days earlier, it was reported that the United States plans to transfer equipment to Ukraine for the conversion of unguided aviation ammunition into "smart bombs". We are talking about the supply of sets of equipment for Joint Direct Attack Munition based on GPS technology, which actually turns free-fall aviation bombs into high-precision weapons. It should be particularly noted that JDAM compatibility is provided with US-made aircraft and some European-made aircraft models (in particular, the Eurofighter Typhoon).
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
It would seem that the possible transfer of such weapons to Ukraine should significantly increase the combat capabilities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. However, there are nuances here. To begin with, we note that the combat and numerical strength of the Air Forces of Ukraine is currently very limited and is represented by only a few dozen combat aircraft. That is, the Air Forces of Ukraine currently do not represent a force capable of making a breakthrough in the course of the armed struggle, supply them with modern aviation weapons of Western production, or do not supply them. They cannot objectively solve the problem of capturing air superiority in its existing form. Among other things, Ukrainian aviation is equipped with exclusively Soviet-designed vehicles - MiG-29, Su-27, Su-24M, Su-25, Su-24MR.
To begin with, let's ask ourselves the question - is it possible to use a domestic-made fighter as a carrier of modern Western-made aviation weapons? As the newspaper wrote earlier.Ru", this is not the easiest task, because, figuratively speaking, absolutely nothing fits out of rockets and bombs and nothing matches even purely in geometric dimensions, not to mention the rest of the characteristics.
Even for free-falling aircraft bombs, it will be necessary to radically alter the suspension units of weapons on any of the aircraft. The situation with guided missiles will be even more difficult.
Beam holders are designed for them, with which a mass of aggregates and equipment is additionally mounted. In other words, in order to simply hang the AGM-88 HARM manufactured by Raytheon or Storm Shadow developed by MBDA under the domestic MiG-29, significant mechanical changes in the design of the aircraft are necessary. But all this, as they say, is still flowers in comparison with the required changes in the onboard electronic equipment of the fighter in general and the sighting and navigation complex in particular.
These changes can be so large and voluminous that in practice it means only one thing - redesigning the aircraft. It is easier to make a new fighter than, for example, to fully adapt the MiG-29 to use the AGM-88 HARM (Storm Shadow, or any other guided air-to-ground missile).
At the same time, during the armed conflict in Ukraine, cases of combat use by the armed forces of Ukraine of AGM-88 HARM anti-radar missiles manufactured by Raytheon against Russian air defense systems were recorded.
For this purpose, MiG-29 fighters were used with semi-artisanal alterations of the underwing pylons of this aircraft for the AGM-88 HARM suspension and making the minimum possible changes in the carrier's electrical circuits in this case. However, the results for the above-mentioned reasons turned out to be so-so-so - the desired effectiveness of the combat use of the AGM-88 HARM by Russian electronic means could not be achieved (there was much more noise than real success). Approximately the same will happen with Storm Shadow, if you use Soviet-designed aircraft. Slovak MiG-29s will not help significantly in this regard either.
For a radical solution to the problem, and this was previously written by the newspaper.Ru", it is necessary to re-equip the Air Forces of Ukraine with multifunctional fighters of Western production in the amount of at least 72-108 units. Machines like Saab JAS-39E/F Gripen, F-16 Block 70/72 or F-15 can claim the role of such a 4++ generation aircraft. And along with the supply of multifunctional fighters, appropriate aviation weapons should be supplied at the same time. Only in this case it is possible to achieve the planned effect. Everything else is palliative.
Saab JAS 39 GripenImage Source: Global Look Press
In general, the transfer of modern weapons to Ukraine has been significantly intensified recently - both in terms of intentions and in terms of actual supplies. In addition to aviation weapons, the transfer of the most modern anti-aircraft missile systems and complexes of Western production to the Armed Forces of Ukraine is on the agenda.
Due to the fact that Russia is using Iranian-made unmanned aerial vehicles during a special military operation to destroy critical infrastructure facilities in Ukrainian cities, Kiev has requested the supply of additional air defense systems from Western countries. Especially painful for the Ukrainian side were the attacks by cruise missiles of various types of basing and barrage ammunition on Kiev.
As the newspaper wrote earlier.Ru ", France and Italy will send SAMP/T anti-aircraft missile systems to the APU. This is reported by Defense Blog with reference to the statement of the French Ambassador to Ukraine Etienne de Poncin.
SAMP-T anti-aircraft missile system
The SAMP/T air defense system (EUROSAM Land system, it has the designation "Mamba" in the French Air Force), which entered service with the Italian army in 2013, is designed for anti-aircraft missile cover of the country's facilities and the armed forces from attacks by all means of air attack, including tactical ballistic missiles. The complex functions in all weather conditions and in conditions of a complex interference situation.
The SAMP/T air defense system includes: a fire control system, including a multifunctional radar with Arabel headlights; self-propelled launchers with eight transport and launch containers on an Astra/Iveco automobile chassis (for Italy) and Renault-TRM-10000 (for France), an 8x8 wheel formula; ASTER-30 anti-aircraft guided missiles.
SAMP-T air defense systemImage source: Wikimedia Commons
SAMP-T SAM is distinguished by a high rate of fire and minimal reaction time. Eight missiles with one PU can be launched in just 10 seconds. The firing range of the complex reaches 100 km. The upper limit of the affected area is 25 km.
In addition, Washington is currently finalizing plans to supply Patriot systems to Ukraine.
The Patriot anti-aircraft missile system (and even in the RAS-3 version) is, without any exaggeration, a bundle of high technologies of the United States military-industrial complex. And if the White House decided to transfer such an advanced model of anti-aircraft missile weapons to Ukraine, then the issue of supplying Kiev with Western-style main battle tanks of the German Leopard 2 type and infantry fighting vehicles of the Marder type will be resolved in the near future.
In this case, as the Newspaper wrote earlier.En", the Pentagon and the White House will have every reason to declare to their allies in the North Atlantic Alliance - "we are supplying Ukraine with a high-tech system worth a billion dollars, and you still have doubts and hesitations about the transfer of tanks worth six million dollars per unit?".
It should also be noted that after the transfer of Patriot air defense systems and heavy armored vehicles to Ukraine, only half a step will remain before the supply of F-15 and F-16 fighters to the AFU.
Mikhail Khodarenok
