The air forces of Ukraine fired from anti-aircraft missile systems (SAM) at tactical exercises in the Kherson region. It is reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces on its Facebook page. In total, more than 20 missiles were fired at the Yagorlyk training ground.
Maneuvers will last until November 4. They take part in the calculations of air defense systems of various radius of action - S-125-2D1 Pechora, Buk-M1, S-300PT, S-300PT, S-300PS, S-300V1. According to Ukrainian media, after the accession of Crimea to the Russian Federation, Yagorlyk remained the only testing ground for air defense systems.
In 2015, Ukraine announced a massive modernization of the air defense forces on the pretext of covering the border with Russia. According to the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) of Ukraine, Alexander Turchinov, the previous leadership of the country, together with Moscow, allegedly deliberately dealt with the destruction of the air defense system.
“The priority task for 2016 is to restore the potential of our air defense and our air forces. This applies to both the modernization and purchase of new aircraft, so, of course, this will also apply to the modernization and purchase of new air defense systems that can reliably protect our country from the air, ”said Turchinov, speaking at the National Guard’s training ground in Novy Petrovtsy.
In an interview with RT, the columnist for Arsenal of the Fatherland magazine Dmitry Drozdenko noted that as of 2015, the air defense system of Ukraine was indeed in a deplorable state. However, according to the expert, the degradation of the air defense forces is the result of chronic underfunding of the Ukrainian Armed Forces since the beginning of the 1990s and the authorities’ reluctance to carry out adequate military reforms.
“Ukraine lost its defense potential after the collapse of the USSR, although it got a huge amount of modern at that time air defense systems and radar stations. Kiev could not properly dispose of all this inheritance. The country's leadership did not have enough money or reason, ”said Drozdenko.
From the information of the General Staff of Ukraine on the exercises of the air defense forces, it follows that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are now armed with the S-125-2D1, Osa-AKM, Tor, Cube, Buk-M1, S-200 and several modifications of the S -300. Some of them were included in the modernization program.
The main emphasis of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine was on the modernization of the S-125-2D1, which was created back in 1961. Work on updating the air defense systems was entrusted to LLC Radioniks and design bureau Luch. "Pechora" should receive new electronic equipment, including radar, a new command post and anti-aircraft missiles.
- Launcher S-125 APU
- Flickr
- © Ministry of Defense of Ukraine
This air defense system is capable of tracking up to four targets and directing up to eight missiles at them. According to Petro Poroshenko last year, the upgraded S-125-2D1 will be able to hit air targets at an altitude of up to 25 km (against the previous 21 km) and a range of over 40 km (previously up to 35 km). The accuracy of the defeat and the level of noise immunity should also increase due to the replacement of analog equipment with digital.
According to Ukroboronprom, Pechora is capable of firing highly maneuverable stealth fighters with an effective dispersion area (EPR) of 0.1 square meters. m
However, in an interview with RT, the director of the Balashikha air defense museum, Yuri Knutov, doubted the merits of the S-125-2D1. According to him, the complex was highly effective only until the 1980s.
“The S-125 is a very worthy example of Soviet design thought, but its modernization resource has long been exhausted. The main disadvantage of the complex is its extremely weak mobile capabilities. A missile launcher with four missiles is delivered in tow. At the same time, all modern air defense systems are self-propelled and literally a few minutes after firing they can change their location, ”Knutov explained.
Knutov explains the lack of competencies by the fact that Ukraine was not involved in the development and production of anti-aircraft systems in the Soviet period. For this reason, Kiev has a limited scientific and production potential in the field of air defense.
“Of course, Ukrainians can do something. For example, they learned how to repair air defense systems; they can improve some of their tactical and technical characteristics. But in the context of a breakdown in relations with Moscow, Kiev is not able to carry out a truly deep modernization, ”Knutov stated.
In turn, the military expert Yuriy Lyamin believes that the air defense system modernization program launched in Ukraine will not bring the expected results. According to him, the Ukrainian defense industry, with the necessary support from the state, can at best only restore the combat effectiveness of most air defense systems remaining after 2014.
“The modernization carried out by Ukraine, in fact, is aimed at putting at least part of the Soviet air defense systems in order. In addition to near-radius complexes, in recent years Kiev has been trying to repair and improve in every way various modifications of the S-300 with a range of up to 100 km. But what will they shoot? The life of Soviet missiles is drawing to a close, and Ukrainian industry is not capable of releasing new ammunition, ”Lyamin said.
"Dead End"
In 2016, Ukraine made an attempt to create a new short-range mobile anti-aircraft complex in cooperation with the Rheinmetall concern (Dusseldorf). It was assumed that the German company will supply Kiev with a chassis and target designation and tracking systems.
However, in January 2019, in an interview with the Ukrainian edition of the Defense Industrial Courier, Alexander Klochko, deputy director of Arsenal (Kiev), announced that Rheinmetall refused to participate in the project under pressure from the federal government.
- Exercises of the Ukrainian Air Defense Forces
- © Gestab APU
“Of course, ideally Ukraine needs new air defense systems. Modernization of Soviet models is a dead end that will extend their life for 10 years, then they will become hopelessly out of date. Kiev cannot independently develop new complexes. Meanwhile, there is no help from Western “friends”. They block cooperation with Ukraine because they do not want to aggravate relations with the Russian Federation and do not see commercial feasibility in joint projects, ”Knutov explained.
Meanwhile, the military leadership of Ukraine does not recognize the presence of serious problems in the air defense system. In particular, commenting on the exercises of the Air Force in February 2019, the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Viktor Muzhenko, said that the modernization of the short-range air defense systems will allow the formation of new military units and "increase the potential of the Ukrainian air defense forces."
Dmitry Drozdenko believes that Ukraine is trying to build a layered air defense system, which includes complexes of near, medium and long range. In his opinion, Kiev is not able to fulfill this task, given the extreme limitedness of the economic resources that it has.
“The layered air defense system is not only expensive air defense systems, which Ukraine is also not able to produce. This is a wide variety of radars and automated control systems (ACS) that ensure the interaction of air defense elements. Kiev does not have such sophisticated high-tech tools, and there is no money to buy them either. Therefore, high-profile statements about the strengthening of the Ukrainian air defense of Ukraine are political PR and air shock, ”summed up Drozdenko.