WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
The United States has pledged to Ukraine a consignment of Raytheon AIM-9M Sidewinder heat-seeking air-to-air missiles. And it’s pretty obvious why.
Ukraine is fighting a desperate air-defense battle against Russian drones. One that’s fast consuming the Ukrainian air force’s existing stockpile of Soviet-vintage R-73 heat-seekers.
Plus, the air force is about to acquire a whole lot more jets: 60 or more surplus Lockheed Martin F-16s from Denmark, The Netherlands and Norway. The F-16s will need missiles.
Tuesday’s missile pledge—part of a $250-million aid package also including other munitions and mineclearing gear—isn’t Ukraine’s first Sidewinder donation. Canada back in May pledged to Ukraine AIM-9s—presumably also AIM-9Ms—from the Canadian air force’s existing inventory.
It’s not clear the Canadian Sidewinders have arrived in Ukraine. It also is unclear when the American Sidewinders will arrive.
Yesterday wouldn’t be too soon for an air force—Ukraine’s—that’s flying air-defense sorties every day, defending Ukrainian cities from one-way, explosives-laden Shahed drones. The Ukrainian air force’s hundred or so Mikoyan MiG-29s and Sukhoi Su-27s currently carry Vympel R-73 heat-seeking missiles.
MiGs and Sukhois carrying R-73s are an effective defense against the slow-flying Shaheds, but an inefficient one. “These interceptions use munitions that are far more expensive and are available for Ukraine in more limited quantities than the Shahed-136 is likely to be for Russia,” Justin Bronk, Nick Reynolds and Jack Watling wrote for the Royal United Services Institute in London.
While Ukrainian industry produces seekers for R-73s, it apparently doesn’t produce missile bodies, meaning industry can’t just build lots of new R-73s to replace the missiles Ukraine inherited from the Soviet Union. “Stocks of even outdated and ineffective Soviet ammunition for the existing aircraft fleet are steadily decreasing,” Ukrainian air force commander Mykola Oleshchuk warned.
A few hundred AIM-9s would sustain the anti-Shahed sorties, potentially for months, even as R-73 stocks run low. But unless the Ukrainians plan to wait to match their Sidewinders with F-16s, they’ll need to integrate the 190-pound, 22-mile-range AIM-9s on MiG-29s and Su-27s.
It’s not impossible to do. The Polish air force for years has been considering arming its MiG-29s with newer AIM-9Xs by kluging American-made LAU-129 launcher rails onto the MiGs’ wings and adding a couple of new electronic boxes to their cockpits—including speakers for producing the characteristic growl the Sidewinder makes when it locks on to a target.
“Power supply for all additional equipment will be a crucial factor,” Polish air force academy instructor Norbert Grzesik wrote in a 2012 assessment. But trust the Ukrainians to solve that problem. After all, they already have found ways to integrate an array of Western missiles with their ex-Soviet jets.
Follow me on Twitter. Check out my website or some of my other work here. Send me a secure tip.
“Power supply for all additional equipment will be a crucial factor,” Polish air force academy instructor Norbert Grzesik wrote in a 2012 assessment. But trust the Ukrainians to solve that problem. After all, they already have found ways to integrate an array of Western missiles with their ex-Soviet jets.”
I have no doubts about this, whatsoever.
Sir OFP, how do or what is effective and efficient against the Shahed drones? Can’t keep shooting million or hundred thousand dollar missiles at them.
The AFU uses only assault rifles, machine guns and automatic cannon whenever possible, SIr Cap.
The Swedes were supposed to have sent long range AAM’s to help. I don’t know if they are in service yet.
I don’t either. Much of what Ukraine is not being announced. The reason is obvious. It’s called cowardice. Too many are too afraid of mafia land. And thus, much is being kept secret to prevent provoking mafia land. No one has the same courage as Ukraine.
That’s all nice and swell, but without modern radars to actually find those drones first, it’s only a partial improvement. Because old soviet radar systems aren’t up to that task, as an Ukrainian fighter pilot (it may have even been the late “Juice”) stated frustratedly some time ago in an interview. So, don’t expect a huge increase of intercepts until the F-16s arrived. Then, maybe even combined patrol flights, F-16 + Mig-29, may help to safeguard the airspace. Can’t happen soon enough!