MANPADS Starstreak in Ukraine. Low efficiency and reasons for failures
Portable air defense system Starstreak. Photo by the US Department of Defense
Over the past year, foreign states have massively transferred to Ukraine man-portable anti-aircraft missile systems of various types. In particular, the UK has shipped a large number of its Starstreak products in their original portable version and self-propelled chassis. High hopes were placed on such complexes, and it was expected that they would be able to cope with the threat posed by the Russian aviation. However, it is now becoming clear that the British MANPADS did not live up to expectations and showed extremely low efficiency.
Hundreds of products
In early March 2022, it became known that the British military department plans to transfer to the Kyiv regime a certain number of MANPADS from the presence of its units. A few days later, the leadership of the ministry confirmed this information. At the end of the month, they announced the completion of the preparation of the first Ukrainian calculations and the imminent dispatch of the complexes. The volume of deliveries was not specified.
Already in early April, Ukrainian propaganda and the foreign press friendly to it announced the start of the use of Starstrikes. Moreover, it has been claimed that such MANPADS are already shooting down Russian planes and helicopters. Photographs and video recordings of poor quality were cited as evidence of this, which did not allow unequivocally determining all the circumstances.
Installation on three missiles. Photo by the British Ministry of Defense
It should be noted that at that time, the Kyiv regime was supplied with a variety of MANPADS from different countries, but it was British products that constantly appeared in propaganda and were presented as “miraculousweapons". The reasons for this soon became known. According to unconfirmed reports, Ukrainian formations and propagandists were instructed to record all the successes of air defense only on Starstreak MANPADS from friendly Britain. In fact, the Ukrainian side paid for the supplies with advertising.
Soon, already in mid-April, the British leadership decided to transfer Stormer HVM self-propelled anti-aircraft systems armed with Starstreak missiles to Ukraine. Deliveries began a few weeks later and did not differ in large volumes or high rates. So, in mid-July, it was reported about the transfer of only six combat vehicles and several hundred missiles for them.
In recent months, Ukrainian sources have repeatedly demonstrated the combat operation of the Starstreak and Stormet HVM complexes. There were also reports of downed air targets. However, as before, convincing evidence of such successes is not given. In addition, now the advertising of the British "Starstreaks" is given much less attention. Propaganda switched to other foreign samples, already delivered or only promised so far.
Lack of success
The exact volumes of deliveries of British anti-aircraft systems in portable and self-propelled versions are still unknown. Apparently, from a few hundred to several thousand Starstreak missiles were sent to Ukraine, as well as a small number of compatible combat vehicles on the Stormer chassis. The British "Starstreak" has become one of the most massive foreign MANPADS at the disposal of the Kyiv regime.
Starstreak rocket. Three combat elements in the head part are clearly visible. Photo Missilery.info
It is known that Ukrainian formations are actively using their MANPADS in all sectors of the front to combat Russian front-line and army aviation. From the available data, it follows that during the entire period of our Special Operation, the enemy used several thousand missiles of portable systems. At the same time, the “successes” of such air defense cannot be called even modest. In fact, they are absent.
Accurate data on the work of Ukrainian air defense of all types and on the losses of our aircraft are not yet available. Foreign services of "intelligence by open sources" estimate the losses of Russian aviation at 130-150 units. The destruction of a similar number of UAVs is also mentioned. At the same time, it must be remembered that such "scouts" are prone to biased assessments or even outright falsifications. They overestimate Russian losses, attribute destroyed enemy equipment to them, and so on.
However, even overestimated estimates of losses show the extremely low effectiveness of Ukrainian air defense and its weapons. Thus, in recent months, Ukrainian formations have used thousands of Soviet and NATO-style MANPADS, as well as hundreds of "large" SAM missiles. At the same time, only dozens of aircraft and helicopters were hit, and not every hit had fatal consequences.
Thus, only a few percent of launches end up hitting an air target. These are extremely low figures, indicating poor air defense organization and low calculation skills. In addition, all this indicates the low quality and effectiveness of the weapons used - incl. British Starstreak MANPADS.
original principles
In terms of goals and objectives, the Starstreak product developed by Thales is a typical modern MANPADS. This is a compact (length 1,4 m) light (14 kg) anti-aircraft system designed to protect ground forces from various means of air attack within a radius of 7 km. The portable complex missile can also be used on the Stormer HVM self-propelled air defense system, which has some advantages.
"Starstreak" differs from other modern MANPADS in the original design of the rocket and in an unusual way of guidance. The developer claims that due to this, the probability of hitting an air target increases, and the damage dealt also increases. However, the rocket becomes much more complicated and more expensive than similar products of the traditional look.
MANPADS Starstreak includes a fire control device. It is equipped with optical means for observing and searching for a target, and also has a laser rangefinder-target designator. With the help of the latter, the complex determines the range to the target and highlights it when firing. The Stormer self-propelled air defense system receives a full-fledged optoelectronic station with higher performance and the same functions.
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Rocket launch. Photo by the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine
The Starstreak rocket consists of several main parts. The largest is the booster stage with a solid propellant engine. Three combat elements are fixed on it, which are dropped after acceleration to a speed of about 4 M. The combat element is a non-motorized projectile in a carbide case 396 mm long, 22 mm in diameter, weighing approx. 900 g. It has a semi-active laser homing head and rudders for maneuvering. The target is hit due to the speed and strength of the hull, as well as with the help of a warhead weighing 450 g.
Starstreak has a specific algorithm of work. The operator must visually detect the target and accompany it, highlighting the laser. At the same time, a rocket is launched. The ammunition accelerates to a predetermined speed and drops the submunitions. Then three projectiles fly to the target due to the received energy and are directed to the reflected laser radiation.
Causes of failure
At the development stage, it was assumed that the operator would be able to track the target and provide reliable guidance even when the enemy used interference. Due to the three combat elements, it was planned to increase the probability of hitting the target, and their strong hull and warhead should have given sufficient damage.
However, the unusual guidance method has serious drawbacks. So, the effectiveness of the use of "Starstreak" directly depends on the ability of the operator to see the target and observe it until the moment of defeat. Even a momentary loss of contact with the target can lead to a miss. This means that launch success depends on the position of the operator, the target's trajectory, weather conditions and other factors. At the same time, such problems are typical for both portable and self-propelled air defense systems with standardized ammunition.
A number of Stormers still remain in service. Photo Telegram / Bmpd
As the experience of recent months shows, the original and technically interesting method of guidance has not justified itself in practice. In a real conflict involving a technically advanced enemy, the Starstreak MANPADS and its self-propelled version showed extremely low efficiency. The number of successful launches is actually at the level of statistical error, which is several times lower than the promises from advertising.
Current problems
British deliveries of Starstreak MANPADS look favorably against the background of other foreign military-technical assistance. Unlike other states, Great Britain provided Ukraine with a large number of quite modern products with high design characteristics. Other states, promising help, often got rid of unnecessary and obsolete products.
However, it is now clear that the real performance and capabilities of modern British MANPADS are far from tabular. The extremely low efficiency of the Starstreak is due to a number of factors, and one of the main reasons for the failures was precisely the unusual way of control and guidance. As practice has shown, the need for manual control by the operator eliminates all technical advantages. And as a result, the mass supply of modern MANPADS turned out to be useless.
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