American developers were able to integrate anti-aircraft missiles of the Patriot system with the old Soviet air defense system as part of the FrankenSAM project.

This is reported by the New York Times with reference to representatives of the American defense industry and the Pentagon, the Industrial Portal reports  with reference to the Military .

The new FrankenSAM (hybrid Soviet and American air defense system) has already been successfully tested.

According to the publication, the anti-aircraft “Frankenstein” was able to hit the drone. The tests took place at the White Sands test site in the state of New Mexico.

The missile was integrated with both the launcher and the radar station (as the NYT writes – Ukrainian-made radar).

This air defense system is planned to be sent to Ukraine already this winter, together with a stockpile of anti-aircraft missiles from the United States and allies.

The interlocutors of the American publication did not name the specific type of air defense system into which Patriot missiles were integrated.

It is worth noting that the missiles used in the Patriot air defense system (MIM-104) are comparable in size to the Buka missiles and somewhat smaller than those used by the S-300.

It will be recalled that earlier the USA and Ukraine achieved success in integrating RIM-7 missiles with the Buk air defense system and created a new air defense system that fires AIM-9X missiles.

According to the information of People’s Deputy Oleksandra Ustinova, several modified “Buk” installations capable of firing American missiles are already in Ukraine.

In total, the Armed Forces plan to modernize 17 launchers, but the American industry is able to process only 5 launchers per month.

The efforts of Ukraine and the US within the framework of the FrankenSAM program are aimed at compensating for the loss of Soviet missile stocks in the winter of 2022/2023 and protecting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

(C)INDUSTRIAL PORTAL 2023