A NATO Sea Sparrow missile is launched during a live-fire self-defense missile exercise aboard the aircraft carrier USS Harry S Truman in 2004. (Photo credit: Petty Officer 2nd class Jason P. Taylor/US Navy, Department of Defense).
The United States will supply Ukraine with RIM-7 Sea Sparrow short-range anti-aircraft missiles, Politico reported on January 5.
The missiles will be provided as a part of a $3.8 billion military aid package that will be announced on January 6. Around $2.25 billion of the package will be devoted for Ukraine, while the rest are meant to allow East European countries to buy U.S. military equipment.
Two sources familiar with the matter told Politico that Ukraine is planning to launch the missiles, which were originally developed in the 1960s to provide “point-defense” for naval vessels, from its existing Soviet-made Buk-M1 air defense systems.
Taiwan has been the only country to operate the ground-launched version of the missiles, as a part of the Skyguard air defense system, while the U.S. and multiple allied navies use the original naval version.
The Sea Sparrow, which is a derivative from the AIM-7 Sparrow air-to-air missile, has an engagement range of around 19 kilometers.
The missile is guided by semi-active radar, the same guidance method used by the 9М38-series missiles of the Buk-M1 system. This likely made the integration process easier.
Ukraine inherited some 70 Buk-M1 systems after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Many of these systems were destroyed or damaged after the start of the Russian special military operation in the country.
An Illustrative image of a Ukrainian Buk-M1 air defense system with its original 9М38-series missiles. Source: the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense.
The U.S. and its allies have large quantities of Sea Sparrow missiles, which will allow Ukraine to keep its Buk-M1 systems operational. The modified systems will likely be used mainly against cruise missiles and drones as the Sea Sparrow was mainly developed to engage aerial targets at lower altitudes.
Ukraine received several Western-made air defense and radar systems in the last few months as a part of efforts led by the U.S. to rebuild its air defense capabilities. Despite this support, Kiev is still incapable of repelling Russia’s repeated missile and drone attacks.
The supply of Sea Sparrow missiles will not give Ukraine a military edge. However, it will prolong the conflict. This appears to be the main goal of the U.S. and its allies.
All the NATO scum can do is to prevent Russia for having total air dominance needed for a conventional full scale offensive. Ukraine is nevertheless destroyed with each day.
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So we won. Not yet? WTF, who said 3 days?
CNN said that. They are Fake News.
Leaders of EU, Atlantic pact and US official gave the terms from 2 days up to 2 weeks. Though it could be real term, if to fight as yankee do — with carpet bombings of cities and destroying administration system in first days. Total economic blockade from the side of Russia and month of carpet bombings could lead to fall of Kiev regime before entering land troops. Bomb, bomb, bomb the Ukraine.
The voice in your head?
Oh, that’s it. So we’re losing? Shit!
Playing dumb on purpose. Just like a cop.
You are absolutely losing. That’s why you have lost Crimea, Donbas, and now Kherson and possibly more oblasts. Take a tenth of a second Ihor, to look at a map from 2013. Learn. Incorporate that knowledge into your Ukretardism.
You said 3 days, Ihor. But it’s actually been eight year and counting that your ethnic cleansing ATO has been floundering around trying to conquer Donbas and impose OUN 2.0 kooky times.
“Ukraine inherited some 70 Buk-M1 systems after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Many of these systems were destroyed or damaged after the start of the Russian special military operation in the country.”
Minus ~20 vehicles lost in asian euro-Georgia. Hohols sent “Buks” with crews, our journalists have found one of operators in Lvov, but this coward didn’t open door of his flat to talk with reporters. It was a year or two after 2008. Several units of these 20 were destroyed, the rest are taken as trophies.
Georgia was another fine example of US winning with proxies. And can somebody explain how Sakashitski ended up as governor of Odessa in the new “national idea” Ukretardistan? Same shit happened with Albanians in Yugoslavia. One second they’re Croatian warlords, the next they’re Kosovarian freedom fighters/narco-traffickers/islamist terrorists.
Yes, not much more than an idle technical curiosity for the respective arms industries – how compatible is Sparrow with BUK…? What adjustments will Russian air strikes need to make? Won’t amount to a hill of beans , but Washington is comforted by the thought of at least doing something…. deferring anything more pressing…