Tonight, the Ukrainian Armed Forces used the Ukrainian FrankenSAM air defense system for the first time and successfully eliminated the suicide bomber.
On the night of January 17, the Armed Forces of Ukraine for the first time used a Ukrainian hybrid air defense system under the general name FrankenSAM (a combination of the English word Frankenstein and an air defense system). The complex worked successfully against the Iranian Shahed-136. The target was eliminated at a distance of 9 km. What is known about this system is more than the story.
Development and testing
The successful destruction of the drone launched by the Russians over Ukraine was announced by the head of the Ministry for Strategic Industries Alexander Kamyshin during the summit in Davos, Defense Express reports.
According to him, from the total portfolio of the FrankenSAM project, five such systems are ready and have been transferred to our military. However, as Kamyshin added, despite the integration of existing systems, successful combat use was preceded by a test cycle, and the first test launch was unsuccessful. Later, thanks to the professionalism of Ukrainian and American manufacturers, FrankenSAM was brought to full combat capability.
Journalists note that the minister did not reveal the name of the air defense system itself, as well as what components it is made of, but indicated what it is about.
Types of FrankenSAM
Three FrankenSAM projects are publicly known: with AIM-9M missiles on an unknown launcher, with AIM-7/RIM-7 missiles on a Buk air defense system, as well as Patriot missiles and launcher from a Ukrainian radar. The transfer of the first such air defense system of an undeclared type became known at the end of October 2023, the publication notes.
“Against this background, it can only be assumed that the first FrankenSAM, which already has a target shot down, is the very project with AIM-7/RIM-7 in the Buk air defense system. It became the first known, moreover , it can have a target destruction range of up to 20 km,” the media wrote.
At the same time, the AIM-9M, if we take the known data from the American MIM-72 Chaparral air defense system, which also used a slightly adapted AIM-9, it has a destruction range of up to five km. But the range of 9 km is considered available for ground launch for the latest version of AIM-9X, which is also integrated with NASAMS, the journalists added.
Note that the RIM-7 Sea Sparrow radar-guided anti-aircraft missiles are primarily intended for installation on a ship. Until 2023, the only country that uses these missiles for launching from ground installations is Taiwan.
Western media, citing their own sources, reported that last year Ukraine was able to configure Soviet Buk launchers for the Sea Sparrow.
The characteristics of this missile are as follows: mass about 230 kg, of which 40.5 kg is a high-explosive fragmentation warhead. A missile with a length of 3.64 m and a diameter of 0.203 m can destroy targets at a range of 1.5 to 20-30 km at an altitude of 6 m to 15 km. However, it is also worth noting that there is a RIM-162 ESSM missile, which is a development of the RIM-7 Sea Sparrow, and allows you to destroy targets at a distance of up to 50 km.
Importance for the Ukrainian air defense system
As Defense Express notes, in any case, not only the appearance, but also the successful combat use of the FrankenSAM complex means that the issue of where to take missiles for the Soviet air defense systems is resolved.
“For each launch they are no longer usable, and the only country where anti-aircraft missiles, including Buk, are produced is the Russian Federation. Therefore, the integration of AIM-7/RIM-7 into them is extremely important. This also applies to other Soviet systems. Because Ultimately, the AIM-9 air defense system with a range of 5 km is a direct analogue of the Soviet Strela-10 air defense system,” the material says.
At the same time, the appearance of FrankenSAM with Patriot missiles and launchers, but with a Ukrainian radar, makes it possible to significantly increase the number of not only the longest air defense system, but also defense systems of missiles for destroying ballistic missiles.
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Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.