Ukrainian air defense system: is Kyiv protected from Russian planes and missiles? | 15 pictures & video review

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In Ukraine, after the start of the war in the Donbass, one can often hear, in one variation or another, the wishes of a "peaceful sky." But what does this mean in practice? Large cities and strategic facilities are under a kind of invisible "umbrella" of air defense. What is this conditional "dome", how long will Soviet anti-aircraft missile systems be able to fulfill this role and what are the options in Ukraine to upgrade the air defense system?

To see the complexes that cover the sky over Kyiv, journalists of the Radio Liberty project Donbass Realia travel a few tens of kilometers from the capital of Ukraine - to the position of one of the anti-aircraft missile units of the Kyiv Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade.

The destruction of the Kyiv dam could lead to the flooding of the city of Kyiv and everything nearby

"There are important objects that, in case of their destruction or destruction, pose a danger of both state and military importance. Therefore, the task of the Kyiv Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade is to prevent attacks by enemy air strikes on these objects, which could lead to irreversible consequences for both the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the state as a whole. For example, the Kyiv dam, the destruction of which could lead to the flooding of the city of Kyiv and everything nearby, "said Victor Kuzmin , commander of the missile divisions of the Kyiv Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade .

Readiness was declared number one, and we were ready to open fire by morning

“The entire team is managed from the command post. There is a complete airspace, a defined sector of our brigade, as well as the whole of Ukraine, even the borders with neighboring countries. We constantly monitor all air targets through UkSATSE. From here, the commander, assessing the situation, gives a command to the anti-aircraft missile division to open fire, "said Oleksandr Boyko, head of the command post of the Kyiv Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

"There was one duty, just when the threat from the Russian Federation began. The number one readiness was announced at the first hour of 30 minutes, and we were ready to open fire by air means by the morning. Thank God that they did not fly into the territory of Ukraine, "said Volodymyr Bitkivskyi, commander of the anti-aircraft missile division of the Kyiv Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine .

Air defense is a rather broad concept, including aviation, radio troops, and, of course, anti-aircraft missile systems. All systems work together, but in this article we will focus on SAM. The sky over Kyiv, and over other major cities in Ukraine, is mostly covered by S-300s. They are able to hit targets at altitudes up to 27 kilometers, range up to 75 kilometers. In general, information about the location of these systems around the capital, of course, little. But, according to open sources, you can reproduce an approximate picture. Each anti-aircraft missile division has its own radius of responsibility.

Ukrainian air defense is one of the best in Europe, as paradoxical as it may sound

"Ukraine's air defense is now one of the best in Europe, as paradoxical as it may sound. But if you look at the state of the air defenses of Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania or other countries of the former Warsaw Pact, you will be amazed - in fact, there is no air defense at all. Even the air defenses of NATO's Western European countries are not much newer than what you saw around Kyiv, "said Mykhailo Samus, deputy director of the Center for Army, Conversion and Disarmament Studies.

S-300 - the most powerful SAM in the Ukrainian army. In general, the list of Soviet complexes in the Armed Forces is quite large, especially when it comes to short-range systems of the Land Forces, which are used to defend military units. Since we are talking about an "umbrella" for entire cities and strategic sites, we will focus on the SAM of the Air Force. This is Buk-M1 - a range of up to 32 kilometers at an altitude of up to 18 kilometers. S-125 - range up to 40 kilometers at an altitude of up to 25 kilometers. And the S-300, as we have already said, is 75 and 27 kilometers, respectively.

Stop the cruise missiles

"Airplane and cruise missile strikes on strategic objects" - according to this legend, anti-aircraft missile forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in September trained to repel the enemy's attack at the Yagorlyk test site in the Kherson region. These shootings have become annual. This time, the S-300 complexes focused on missile defense.

According to legend, we fired two anti-aircraft missile systems

Volodymyr Bitkivskyi is one of those whose unit was suddenly transferred from the Kyiv region to the Kherson region during exercises. The flight of S-300 cruise missiles was simulated by old Soviet Tu-143 Flight drones.

"I flew at an altitude of 400 meters, the range of detection of the target was 60 kilometers, the range of destruction - 12 kilometers. According to legend, we conducted anti-aircraft fire with two anti-aircraft missile systems. We launched one missile, another - another anti-aircraft missile system. But we were the first to launch our missile, so we were the first to hit the target, "he said.

In the occupied Crimea alone, there are about 200 missiles in one volley from ships, submarines and ground complexes of the Russian Federation.

"In the occupied Crimea alone, there are about 200 missiles in one volley from ships, submarines and ground complexes of the Russian Federation. These are cruise and, possibly, ballistic missiles, because "Iskander" is basically a mobile complex. Around Ukraine, again, there are about 100 Iskander missiles on the Russian-Ukrainian border in the immediate vicinity. We can talk about several hundred missiles in one volley, which the Ukrainian missile defense system must repel at once. Of course, the Ukrainian anti-missile and air defenses cannot repel such a threat now. On the other hand, it is clear that such missile strikes will be the last step of the Russian Federation, because it will be a full-scale war, which will inevitably lead to not only regional but also global conflict, "said Mikhail Samus.

S-300 anti-aircraft missile system near Kyiv

Every day a regiment of combat Su-24s took off from one of the Russian airfields in full gear. 32 planes, 8 tons of active ammunition on each plane

"Perhaps society is not ready for how close we were to the war since February 2014. In what condition were the people who were aware, and I, in particular, was the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, and what tensions we had in the first months of the war before the first Minsk agreements. You understand what a person experiences when a fully equipped Su-24 regiment took off from one of Russia's airfields and landed on our state border, flying, for example, from the eastern border to the border with Belarus and returning at a speed of 600 kilometers per hour. . 32 planes, 8 tons of active ammunition on each plane, ” Artur Artemenko, Chief of Staff of the Air Force of Ukraine (2012-2017), recalls the events of 2014.

Since the beginning of the war in the Air Force, according to Artur Artemenko, much has changed for the better - and the radar reconnaissance system, and automation. And the exercises with shooting and working out various scenarios have become much more, he adds.

The Russian pilot must feel that he may not return

"It is not necessary to shoot down dozens of planes. The pilot must feel, the Russian pilot must feel that he may not return, and then there will be questions of refusal. We studied this in Georgia, when the first two Su-25s were shot down in Georgia, the entire aviation regiment refused to perform its tasks and was replaced by another, ”says Artur Artemenko.

But no matter how intense the Ukrainian air defense, all anti-aircraft missile systems - more than 30 years. The same S-300s in the Kyiv region check every six months whether they are ready to fire in any case.

"One of the enterprises of the military-industrial complex, which is part of the state concern of Ukraine, inspects anti-aircraft guided missiles to the S-300P complexes and extends the service life," says Victor Kuzmin.

"It happens that not even the rocket itself, but somewhere the equipment fails a cable, a chip fails. Missiles themselves are infrequent that do not go through the process of preparation and restructuring. There are a lot of products that fail, and they are nowhere to be found, so I would like something to be new, to be adopted, or parts to be made in Ukraine and there was some stock of these elements, radio elements, "says Volodymyr Bitkivsky. .

According to the vision of the Air Force, their ability to work on air targets ends sometime in 2035

"According to the vision of the Air Force, their (anti-aircraft missile systems - ed.) Ability to work on air targets ends somewhere at the level of 2035. In general, from 2025, an avalanche-like decrease in their combat-ready number will begin. That is, if we take that vision as a basis, then we should already look for a replacement for them, because these are issues that cannot be resolved in one day. We need to allocate funds, wait for development or, if we decide to purchase, wait until foreign manufacturers make them, we will train staff and put in service in sufficient quantities, "- says the expert columnist of Defense Express Oleg Katkov.

Ukrainian SAM developments

Pivdenne Design Bureau offers its version of the anti-aircraft missile system. The project already has a name - "Ring". The KB assures that their system will be able to hit subsonic targets at a distance of up to 280 kilometers, fighters at a range of about 130 kilometers, ballistic targets - up to 44 kilometers.

The "Ring" system consists of 6 SAM units. Each complex is capable of simultaneously firing at 12 targets

“This system consists of 6 SAM units. For example, if we are now in the Dnieper, the city and its suburbs are covered by this system. The declared probability of hitting one aerodynamic target is 0.8. At the same time ballistic - 0.6. But at the same time we say that each complex, I emphasize, is not a system, but each individual complex can work offline. Each complex is capable of firing at 12 targets at the same time, ”says Valery Perkov , head of the project department of the Pivdenne Design Bureau.

We are currently working out the onboard equipment that will be used as part of the Kilchen anti-aircraft missile.

"We are now in a multifunctional center, which provides work on the creation, testing, natural modeling of missile and jet weapons. Now we have a three-axis stand, which simulates the flight of a missile and the development of appropriate missile systems - control systems, guidance systems. The systems themselves are quite expensive, and their field tests lead to the consumption of fairly large resources, plus the necessary landfills. In this case, we are currently working out on-board equipment that will be used as part of the Kilchen anti-aircraft missile, a control system to ensure corrected missile withdrawal, "said Vladislav Sidoruk , head of the avionics development department at the Pivdenne missile systems .

Two military projects of the Pivdenne Design Bureau are currently under investigation - the Sapsan operational tactical missile system and a new ammunition for the Hail volley fire system - Typhoon-1 . "Donbass Realia" was one of the first to see how the shells of these 122-millimeter shells are made. Typhoon-1 fires up to 40 kilometers, which is twice as long as Soviet shells for Grad. CB Pivdenne is still producing small batches for testing.

Production of composite materials at Pivdenne Design Bureau

"On this equipment, we can also make shells of caliber 220, 400 millimeters in diameter. "We have a ring with a diameter of 400 millimeters," says Yevhen Kosyak , chief designer and head of the design bureau for the development of solid-fuel rocket engines at the Pivdenne Design Bureau .

"To ensure a competitive price, productivity, however, it makes sense to make a metal body - by rolling, and the rest of the dry compartments to make composite, and they are basically already designed, and the equipment allows you to make everything here," - said the head of new non-metallic materials. and advanced technologies of CB "Southern" Alexander Potapov.

The program for the development of missile and jet weapons in Ukraine is currently being considered. This project is in this program - the creation of a long-range anti-aircraft missile system

"The program for the development of missile and jet weapons in Ukraine is currently being considered. This project is in this program - the creation of a long-range anti-aircraft missile system. We hope that in the next month or two this program will be approved, and within the framework of this program, including the project of the anti-aircraft missile system "Kilchen" will be launched. Integration of the whole project - for KB "Southern". Rocket - developed by KB "South". Radars are manufactured by our partners in Ukraine - Iskra, Zaporizhia, Kvant-Radar, Kyiv. Management system of the complex - CB "South" together with other enterprises of Ukraine. Production of the rocket is Pivdenmash, specifically the Pavlograd Mechanical Plant, which has these capacities. Pavlograd Chemical Plant is involved in equipping the engine with solid fuel, equipping the warhead. Homing heads - again,Alexander Kushnaryov.

Model of SAM from KB "Ray"

We plan to develop an anti-aircraft missile system in three years in the configuration required for combat operations.

"The government sets the task in such a way that we plan to develop the system in two stages. The first phase will last three years, so in 2024 we will report on the readiness for state tests, flight tests of the anti-aircraft missile system, I emphasize, not the system. First of all, we plan to develop an anti-aircraft missile system in three years in the configuration required for combat operations. The second stage will be devoted to the development of system solutions and capacity building of information and intelligence tools of the complexes that were developed in the first place. If we talk about the total time of research and development work, we see it for 5 years, "says Valery Perkov.

Pivdenne is not the only enterprise in Ukraine that declares its readiness to develop and then supply SAMs to the army. This year, Luch presented a model of the Coral missile for a complex with a range of up to 30 kilometers. The company also defended the preliminary project of SAM with a range of up to 100 kilometers. And they are ready to go to state tests there in two years, as they plan to borrow a lot from the coastal missile complex "Neptune".

I look at this work boldly, because we in "Neptune" actually have 70% of the complex

"We take the Neptune launcher and put the same 4 missiles as on the S-300, we install them in our own way. We say - and the command machine to control all this? But the command machine "Neptune", it does not even need to be redone, it just needs to be reprogrammed. We already have all the elements. And moreover, why do I boldly look at this work, because we in "Neptune" is actually 70% of the complex. All we have to do is get a ready-made good Iskra radar. We add, of course, a radio correction station and add our rocket. And here is our rocket - we take Alder as a basis - there is a gas-dynamic control, we have to put a head, which will be developed for us in the same way as developed for Neptune, - says Oleg Korostelov, General Designer and General Director of Luch.

However, despite the preliminary draft of the SAM protected before the Ministry of Defense, work on it is unfunded.

"It's a mystery to me. I am making a huge effort to tell the high-level military about this, I mean the military customers. I tell, I send documents to air defense commanders, I send documents to the same National Security and Defense Council, the military ordered these preliminary projects from us », - Oleg Korostelov adds.

"Iron Dome" for Mariupol?

Mariupol is a city that has changed a lot in the last few years. From the outside, you can't say that after about 20 kilometers there is a front line. The most terrible for Mariupol was the shelling of "Hail" in early 2015.

The "Iron Dome" is a threefold system - the detection, destruction and integration of these systems into joint work

"You know, theoretically a modern station, a radar station, which is in the service of the Air Force, the operators of this station saw, in other conditions, not in Mariupol, saw the launches. From the time of launch, the use of the weapon, to the moment of defeat - a few seconds. The reaction time is so insignificant that it makes very, very little sense. In principle, in Israel - this is a question, the numbers are different, we will say 50% decided on the "Iron Dome". But the Iron Dome is a threefold system - the discovery, destruction and unification of these systems. We don't have such systems yet, ”says Artur Artemenko.

The Iron Dome intercepts only those missiles that fly into populated areas

"It should be understood that none of the existing missile defense systems provides a 100% guarantee that enemy missiles will not hit the settlements. But the Iron Dome gives a fairly high percentage of successful interceptions, more than 90% proven in combat, and this is, again, unprecedented, but there is one thing. Each launch of the Iron Dome costs a lot of money, while the launch of enemy missiles, such as the Hail, costs little, so the Iron Dome intercepts only those missiles that fly to populated areas, "said an army reserve officer. Defense of Israel Victor Werzner.

In the summer of this year in Mariupol there was talk of wanting to install an "Iron Dome" to protect the city - primarily to restore the airport. However, then they decided to build a new resort outside the city. But security specialists from Israel still came to Mariupol.

There are definitely plans to increase flight safety at the level of the Ministry of Defense and specifically the city of Mariupol

"This meeting was held behind closed doors and many were asked not to comment on this topic. This was the meeting, the discussion is ongoing and there are plans to increase flight safety at the level of the Ministry of Defense and specifically the city of Mariupol, "said Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boychenko.

"Israel is what the modern military language calls the one bomb state, so we can't afford to miss a single unconventional warhead. That is why so much money and effort is allocated to the missile defense system. Four levels, I do not think that today any country has something similar on its territory. If Ukraine really wants comprehensive solutions, it is necessary to follow the path of Israel and build a multi-level missile defense system, "said Victor Werzner.

Poland will receive the first Patriot in 2022

In Israel, there are four levels of missile defense, and the Iron Dome, the lowest of them, is responsible for short-range targets.

American Patriot for Poland

American Patriots are often mentioned when talking about foreign SAMs for Ukraine. In this sense, the demonstration experience of Poland - for 4 batteries (16 launchers) there paid 4 billion 750 million dollars.

"Patriot is a key system for Polish security. "It provides new opportunities in the middle range to combat Russia's Iskander-class ballistic missiles, which are the main reason for buying the Patriot," said Juliusz Sabac, a security expert on the Polish portal Defense24.pl.

Combat firing of anti-aircraft missile units at the state range "Yagorlyk"

Poland signed the contract in 2018, the first complexes will be delivered next year, and Warsaw will be able to use their capabilities only in 2024.

Patriot is very useful, very accurate, but also very expensive. Each shot of a Patriot costs millions of dollars. So we need cheaper missiles against less problematic targets, such as airplanes and cruise missiles

“Do we need a Patriot? So. Do we have enough missiles and batteries? No. We have less than half of what we need. So in the future, I hope we will buy more. Another issue is the short-range system. In Poland, the Patriot is part of the Vistula anti-missile program. On the lower level - the program "Narev". And now we are choosing a missile supplier for this short-range system, we want to integrate it with the Vistula program. Of course, the Patriot is very useful, very accurate, but also very expensive. Each shot of a Patriot costs millions of dollars. That's why we need cheaper missiles against less problematic targets, such as airplanes and cruise missiles, "added Juliusz Sabak.

"When we talk about the Patriot, we need to understand that one anti-aircraft missile system, which costs millions of dollars, will not solve the problem. One anti-aircraft missile system at an altitude of 300 meters covers the area, a space of about 70 kilometers. Imagine the length of our state border, imagine the area that needs to be blocked, how many anti-aircraft missile systems, the same Patriots, you need, and it's millions of dollars. The second question is how well they connect with our radar reconnaissance system. Although he is a Patriot, although he is not a Patriot, he needs to provide combat information on board, with appropriate algorithms and things that will allow him to use it, ”says Artur Artemenko.

Ukrainian or foreign SAMs?

According to the aforementioned vision of the Air Force , published by the command last year, by 2035 in the anti-aircraft missile forces Soviet complexes should be replaced by modern, in fact, plans to leave two types of SAM - the first will be responsible for targets up to fifty kilometers, the second - in the area of ​​one hundred kilometers. It will cost tens of billions of hryvnias. However, the vision is only a vision of the problem, and to solve it it is desirable to approve a certain concept of what the air defense system should be in the future.

If the Patriot system in a certain modification or version fits here - good. If the S-300 system is embedded in this system, it must be used

"This is protection from missiles several thousand kilometers, several hundred, several tens of kilometers and, perhaps, from tactical weapons, mortars, even artillery - what the Israelis are doing if we reach this level. Of course, domestic developers can also take part in this, if their complex with their detection systems, with their counteraction systems - they fall into this concept, they become one of the elements, components of this system, they can be installed. If the Patriot system in a certain modification or version fits here - good. If the S-300 system, repaired or even modernized in a certain way, is invested in this system, it should, of course, be used, ”Mykhailo Samus said.

Ukraine's budget for the purchase of all weapons and military equipment, from ammunition to "Neptune" - $ 800 million

"Given that Ukraine's budget for the purchase of all weapons and military equipment, from ammunition to Neptune, is $ 0.8 billion, $ 800 million. Given the cost of anti-aircraft missile systems in sufficient quantities of several billion, without a special strategic state program, or lending, or receiving in any other way at the expense of the budget of the Ministry of Defense, we do not solve this issue, - says Oleg Katkov.

Journalists of the Radio Liberty project Donbass Realia addressed the Ministry of Defense with questions about the state program, the Patriot, the Iron Dome, the Luch and Pivdenne projects. They replied that "the issue of purchasing the latest anti-aircraft missile systems of both domestic production and samples from foreign partners is being investigated." However, the answers to all these questions are classified information. As we have already said, SAMs are only part of the air defense system, so many questions remain regarding the upgrade of other components.

To speak purely about the anti-aircraft missile system separately - it turns out that the Russians have an MH17 aircraft. The system must be used in combination

"Speaking purely about the anti-aircraft missile system separately - it turns out that the Russians with the MH17 aircraft. Or, for example, in Iran. There is a whole group of SAM "Thor", "Cube", which are in the service of the Iranian army, and shot down was not what was needed, shot down a Ukrainian plane and killed civilians, so the system must be used in a complex - radar reconnaissance, anti-aircraft missile cover and will be significantly strengthened by fighter aircraft. And all this should be combined into a common system, namely the combat management system, "Artur Artemenko said.

It is difficult to say which SAMs will protect the sky over Kyiv in 15-20 years - Ukrainian or foreign? Or maybe both together? It is also difficult to talk about the effectiveness of the Soviet S-300 - now that there are goals that at the time of the complex did not exist. The experience of the recent war in Nagorno-Karabakh, experts say, suggests that strike drones, kamikaze drones, to put it mildly, are difficult targets for Soviet systems.

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