Colonel Khodarenok allowed the transfer of the American Sentinel radar to Ukraine by spring
Ukraine has requested Sentinel radar stations from the United States, the media writes. As Kiev hopes, American radars will help protect defense industry enterprises and cities from missile and air strikes and UAV actions this winter. The details of possible deliveries were dealt with by the military observer of the newspaper.En" Mikhail Khodarenok.
The AN/MPQ-64F1 Improved radar (A3, A4, F1 modifications are possible) Sentinel ["Sentinel"] is a three-coordinate radar designed to detect enemy air attack means at short and medium ranges. Sentinel is a centimeter-range radar, that is, it gives anti-aircraft missile systems and complexes searchless targeting.
The antenna device of the station is an active phased array. The radar automatically detects, accompanies and determines the nationality of air objects. These radars are used as reconnaissance assets in NASAMS medium-range air defense systems jointly developed by the Norwegian group Kongsberg and Raytheon and AN/TWQ-1 Avenger. The radar is manufactured by Raytheon Missiles & Defense.
Why does Kiev need an American "Guardian"
At first glance, Kiev's requests for the supply of such radar weapons look like even far from the most important issue of military-technical cooperation between Ukraine and the United States. But there are much more significant phenomena behind this Ukrainian appeal to Washington.
To understand this, it is necessary to transfer to Ukraine at the end of May - beginning of June this year. At that moment, only speeches like "thunder of victory, be heard from Kiev." In the capital of Ukraine, small and large drums thundered, fanfare sang, statements were voiced "this summer we will drink coffee on the Yalta embankment", "we will go to the borders of 1991", "we will inflict a crushing defeat on the hordes from the East".
No one seems to have thought about strengthening the air defense of the administrative and political centers of the country, defense industry enterprises, and critical infrastructure facilities in the coming winter in Kiev. And suddenly, a week before the start of the calendar winter, the question arose about strengthening the radar reconnaissance system, creating a continuous radar field at extremely low altitudes. First of all, to combat air- and sea-based cruise missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles of the Geranium 2 type, operational and tactical missiles.
How many radars does Ukraine need
Again - and in this matter, the main thing is not in the fact of deliveries, but in their volume. To organize the air defense of Ukraine at least for a score of three with a minus, it is necessary to have at least 130-150 anti-aircraft missile systems and complexes. It is unlikely that the APU currently has at least a third of this number of air defense systems/air defense systems. But in practice, it is also necessary to add to this a system of command posts at all levels, automated control systems, communication and data transmission systems, which is certainly not available in sufficient quantities in the Air Forces of Ukraine.
If you use the AN/MPQ-64 as an additional reconnaissance and targeting station for anti-aircraft missile divisions and batteries, then in this case the supplies of this station should go by many dozens. In addition, it should be taken into account that a certain number of radars should be supplied to the equipment and radio engineering troops of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In practice, most likely, the supply of AN/MPQ-64F1 from the United States will be limited to a few units, and even those will not be supplied to the APU immediately.
So the chances that a significant part of the civilian population of Ukraine will remain without electricity this winter, and, consequently, without water, heating and sewerage are very, very high.
The opinion of the author may not coincide with the position of the editorial board.
Biography of the author:
Mikhail Mikhailovich Khodarenok is a military columnist for the newspaper.Ru", retired colonel.
He graduated from the Minsk Higher Engineering Anti-Aircraft Missile School (1976), the Military Air Defense Command Academy (1986).
Commander of the S-75 anti-aircraft missile division (1980-1983).
Deputy Commander of the anti-aircraft missile regiment (1986-1988).
Senior Officer of the General Staff of the Air Defense Forces (1988-1992).
Officer of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff (1992-2000).
Graduated from the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia (1998).
Columnist of "Nezavisimaya Gazeta" (2000-2003), editor-in-chief of the newspaper "Military-Industrial Courier" (2010-2015).
Mikhail Khodarenok