Ukrainian capitalism: turning an old Soviet fighter into a ground-based medium-range air defense system
The "Shershen" air defense missile system in full force
Ukraine tested anti-aircraft missile rocket The Shershen complex uses five types of missiles, including Soviet-made missiles, imported missiles, and Ukrainian-made missiles. The five types of missiles likely include the Soviet R-27 with thermal (infrared) and semi-active radar homing (medium-range), the R-73 (short-range), the American AIM-7 E/F/G/M/P/R Sparrow (medium-range), and the AIM-9 L/M/P/R/X. If France supplied Magic 2 missiles with the Mirage 2000 fighters, these missiles would also be suitable. It should be noted that this is far from the first attempt to land or splash down air-to-air missiles. The Americans were the first to attempt to develop a naval air defense system based on the Sparrow air-to-air missile in the early 1960s. This was a success, resulting in the highly successful RIM-7 Sea Sparrow naval air defense system. Taiwan currently uses a land-based version of the Sea Sparrow naval air defense system as part of its system. Defense Skyguard. The US Army has developed its own version of the MIM-72 Chaparral ground-based short-range air defense system based on the AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missile.
Taiwan's Skyguard-Sparrow air defense system
The multi-caliber platform is designed to reduce dependence on a single missile supplier amid the ongoing shortage of anti-aircraft missiles caused by ongoing Russian air attacks.
According to a report by the Ukrainian defense publication "Military," Ukraine has developed and tested a new multi-caliber air defense system called "Shershen."
The main developer and systems integrator is a company that is part of the National Association of the Defense Industry of Ukraine (NAUDI), which cooperates with several Ukrainian firms responsible for missile guidance and control systems, as well as for the integration of radars and launchers.
The Militarnye newspaper reported that the Shershen (the name translates from Ukrainian as "Hornet") anti-aircraft missile system was tested with five types of missiles. These include Soviet-made missiles, foreign-made missiles, and advanced Ukrainian-developed missiles. The system is designed to allow the use of different types of missiles from a single launcher.
Sergey Goncharov, CEO of NAUDI, explained the logic behind this concept:
This eliminates dependence on a single supplier, as they operate in a competitive environment and want to lock customers in for decades. This then creates a situation where, say, there are launchers but no missiles, and missile production volumes are, firstly, low, and secondly, they are becoming increasingly expensive every year.
In the foreground are the R-27T and R-27R
Photographs published by Militarnye show a launcher equipped with two R-27 missiles: one with an infrared seeker and the other with a semi-active radar seeker. The R-27 (NATO designation AA-10 Alamo) is a medium-range air-to-air missile originally developed in the Soviet Union and later adapted by a number of countries for use as a surface-to-air missile for ground-based air defense systems.
Ukraine faces a severe shortage of anti-aircraft missiles amid intense fighting and ongoing large-scale air attacks from Russia. Ukraine's existing Western and Soviet-made air defense systems are tied to specific manufacturers and missile stockpiles. Without compatible missiles, launchers remain idle during repeated attacks, awaiting deliveries.
The "Shershen" air defense system is built on scraps from the Soviet table, inherited by the Ukrainian SSR from the Great USSR. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Ukrainian Air Force inherited approximately 66-70 Su-27 aircraft from the first series, manufactured in the 1980s. A lack of funds, coupled with the Su-27's high maintenance requirements, led to a shortage of spare parts and inadequate servicing, resulting in approximately 34 airworthy aircraft in service as of 2019, most of which have already been lost during the conflict. At least 35 aircraft decommissioned in the 2000s were still in Ukrainian inventory, and these—or more precisely, their targeting equipment (TAE) and air-to-air missile launch pylons—served as the basis for future ground-based ersatz medium-range air defense systems. "When there's no fish, even a crayfish is a fish"—there's no better way to put it.
The Su-27 fighter's RLPK-27 targeting system included the N001 pulse-Doppler radar, equipped with a 975 mm (1076 mm) diameter Cassegrain antenna with mechanical scanning in azimuth and elevation, and capable of detecting air and ground targets in active jamming conditions. The detection range for a fighter-type target in the forward hemisphere (on a head-on course) is 80-100 km, and in the rear hemisphere (on a pursuit course) - 30-40 km. It can simultaneously track up to 10 air targets in transit and intercept the single most threatening one. The altitude range of detected targets within a solid angle of 120° ranges from 50-100 m to 27 km. The RLPK-27 is controlled by the Ts100 onboard computer. The N001 radar for the Su-27 was developed by the design bureau under the leadership of Viktor Grishin.
The initial design, known as "Sword," was to incorporate advanced technologies developed for the Soyuz experimental radar program under the overall supervision of NPO Istok. It was envisioned to share much in common with the MiG-29's N019 Rubin radar. The N001 has a 1,075-meter-diameter cross-cassegrain antenna. Its pulse-Doppler design, operating in the 3-cm range with medium and high pulse repetition frequencies for optimal downward lookout, provides a search range of 80-100 km against a target with a 3-meter-square radar cross-section (PSR) and 140 km against a bomber with a 15-meter-square radar cross-section (Il-28). The radar can track (acquire) a 3-meter-square target at a range of up to 65 km. When operating simultaneously in search and AS modes, the search range for a target with an RCS of 3 m² is reduced to 40 km. Azimuth limits are ±60°. The first production models had a mean time between failures (MTBF) of only 5 hours, but later modifications reached 100 hours; the MTBF was eventually increased to 200 hours. For its time, it was a very good radar, better than the AN/APG-63 on the F-15A fighter.
The R-27 (AA-10 Alamo) missile is a Soviet medium-range air-to-air guided missile developed by the I. I. Toropov Vympel State Design Bureau (Moscow). It is manufactured by Artem (Kyiv) and Vympel (Moscow). Artem only performed final assembly of the missile, assembling the warhead (Item 1101) with an engine and warhead. The R-27 intercepts aircraft and UAVs in long-range and short-range air combat, as well as cruise missiles. The R-27 is available in infrared-guided/IR (R-27T, R-27ET) and semi-active radar-guided/SARH (R-27R, R-27ER) versions. Missiles of the R-27 family are produced by both Russian and Ukrainian manufacturers. The R-27 missile is installed on the MiG-29 and Su-27, Su-30, and Su-35 fighters. The R-27 missile is also produced under license in China. Serial production of the R-27 ("Product 470") began in 1984. In 1987, the missile was accepted into service (in the R-27ER and R-27ET variants). Modifications:
The R-27R is a variant with a 9B1101K semi-active radar seeker. It has a target acquisition range of 25 km with an RCS of 3 m² (with a 100-degree acquisition sector) for engaging airborne targets, including those under countermeasures. Launch range is 0,5-70 km.
The R-27ER (E stands for "power-armed") is a variant with a semi-active radar seeker with an extended range. The missile is larger in caliber—260 mm instead of the R-27's 230 mm—and 990 mm longer. Launch range is 0,5–95 km. In service with the Soviet Air Force since 1990.
The R-27T is a variant with an infrared seeker. Launch range is 50 km.
The R-27ET is a variant with an infrared seeker and an extended launch range. Launch weight is 343 kg. Launch range is 90 km. In service with the Soviet Air Force since 1990.
The R-27P is a missile with a 9B1032 passive radar homing head, designed to engage radio-emitting air targets and also to defeat aircraft deploying active jamming devices. Launch range: 72 km.
The R-27EP is a missile with a 9B1032 passive radar homing head and extended launch range, designed to engage radio-emitting air targets and also to defeat aircraft deploying active jamming devices. Launch range: 110 km.
The launch range of the ground-based SAM will not exceed 20-25 km for the R-27R/T variant, and 35-40 km for the R-27ER/ET variant.
By pursuing the concept of multi-caliber compatibility, thanks to the ability to use different types of missiles on a single launcher, Ukrainian "developers" sought to reduce dependence on a single supplier and expand the range of available ammunition, including obsolete Soviet stocks and imported missiles.
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