With long-range missile attacks terrorizing Ukraine, the only thing left to do is fire down cruise missiles, which is exactly what the Russian army is doing.
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| [US weapons to Ukraine] |
Like the Third Reich during World War II, the Kremlin is attempting to intimidate the civilian population with a steady barrage of rocket assaults. The employment of cruise missiles, which are fired from beyond the Ukrainian weapons of destruction, is initially and foremost used for this aim. And then there's the matter of taking down the cruise missiles in their own right.
However, the density of Ukraine's air defense is plainly insufficient to ensure the interception of all missiles and the protection of all installations across the country. However, now that the United States has officially passed a legislation on Ukraine's land leases, the door is open for weaponry that may help address this situation in the future.
The primary disadvantage of cruise missiles is that they may be launched from almost any location. Starting with the Black Sea and moving on to Belarus. Furthermore, cruise missiles such as the R-500, air-to-air missiles such as the X-555 and X-101, and naval "Caliber" have a range of several thousand kilometers or more.
Rather than launching them "straight," this permits them to construct intricate trajectories by avoiding the locations of the Ukrainian air defense rather of tossing them "straight." Furthermore, cruise missiles themselves are one of the most challenging targets for air defense systems to defend against. These drones are not only tiny, but they also fly at low altitudes, which minimizes the range of their detection and provides the shortest amount of time for them to be destroyed.
As a result, Ukraine's air defense is now faced with incredibly complicated targets that may fly in any direction and on an unknown course. Furthermore, accomplish it using obsolete technology from the Soviet period. And the fact that Ukrainian anti-aircraft gunners are able to destroy cruise missiles in these situations is a testament to their exceptional expertise.
However, due to the lease, the problem of old technology may now be resolved, allowing for the deployment of a more robust air defense system to commence. Although it should be multi-layered, the necessity to safeguard the nation from such attacks in the lowest amount of time is a significant consideration.
Linear path with Patriot and NASAMS
It is no secret that Ukraine's anti-aircraft missile systems were in in need of upgrading well before the invasion of Rashi. Several years ago, discussions started about "buying Patriot," resulting in a communication between KB "Luch" and KB "Pivdenne," each of which provided its own developments: SAM, which had a range of up to 100 kilometers, and the far more hopeful "Kilchen." The outcome is predictable - just ask NASAMS, one of the Western partners, during the conflict.
Even though it is theoretically possible, the United States is currently unable to supply the long-range anti-aircraft missile systems MIM-104 Patriot. These missile systems are extremely expensive and require extensive training, and they are also extremely difficult to come by even in the United States. They may theoretically order NASAMS, which are not made "in stock" and will not be available for delivery for months if not years, if not decades.
All of this is part of the "linear route" of replacing the S-300 with the Patriot and the Beech with NASAMS, which seems to be the most logical option, but fails to take into consideration the reality that aviation bears the majority of the cost of air defense in all Western nations. Ground-based air defense systems, on the other hand, are more auxiliary.
Universal path with F-16 and F-15
Perhaps, in this circumstance, it is absolutely vital to take the western approach and concentrate on combatants. One thing to note is that fourth-generation fighters such as the F-16 and F-15, both of which are in service in large numbers in the United States, are in plentiful supply in the country. Furthermore, the manufacturing lines for these aircraft are already up and running, both at Lockheed Martin, where a new production facility has been created, and at Boeing, which is currently producing the F-15EX.
Modernizing aviation is now a "flashy" activity that must be completed without being distracted by other issues. That includes the shift to Western models, since although it is feasible to search the globe for MiG-29 and Su-27 aircraft, this is a dead end in terms of finding operational aircraft.
The bet on aviation rejuvenation is even greater since it is a mobile defense strategy, with aircraft located at Mukachevo, at the very least, capable of performing responsibilities across the country. If required, the bases of the leap in central Ukraine may be reached.
Furthermore, contemporary western jets aren't only fighters any longer. Essentially, they are multi-purpose devices that are capable of eliminating both airborne and ground-based targets with comparable effectiveness. As a result, the modernization of aircraft will surely result in a significant boost in the overall combat capability of the Armed Forces.
However, moving to western aircraft is not as simple as it seems. And don't even think about retraining pilots. A massive collection of duties is required, including the installation of new ground infrastructure as well as the training of dozens of technicians and professionals from the ground crew. The logistics, technical control, and standards, as well as a slew of other incredibly critical jobs that are not even visible on the surface, must all be reorganized. There is no doubt that all of this will be settled, since there is no other option. However, this will take time.
Asymmetric with guaranteed result - Centurion C-RAM
Taking into consideration that the work of destroying cruise missiles must be completed as quickly as feasible, i.e. without the need for months of training, there are several solutions to consider.
In this category, we have the Centurion C-RAM automated anti-aircraft missile system.. This is a ground-based counterpart of the well-known marine systems Mark 15 Phalanx CIWS, which were developed to defend against anti-ship missiles and other threats.
Although the Centurion C-RAM is equipped with an astronomically rapid 20-mm cannon that can fire at a rate of 4500 bullets per minute, the major characteristic of this weapon is that it is completely automated. A radar and optical-thermal module are installed in the installation, which floods the target and follows it, calculates all mistakes and the ideal moment to strike, and also starts fire or offers to click the "descent" button on the operator's console.
In fact, it is effective against unguided rockets, which are more smaller and quicker than cruise missiles and hence pose a greater threat. However, the effective shooting range is just 1.5 kilometers.
That is, you will have to put such Centurion C-RAM, which is not very expensive in the United States, on the same items that need to be protected in the first place. In addition, the missiles' wreckage will fall anywhere in the area where they were destroyed.
Pragmatic Avenger
Short-range SAM AN/TWQ-1 Avenger is a reasonably easy-to-use and huge short-range SAM in the arsenal of the United States Army. There are almost 700 of them serving in the United States Army.
In truth, this is an HMMWV, which is capable of transporting eight FIM-92 Stinger cruise missiles. Aside from that, it should be mentioned that the successful use of an anti-ship cruise missile has already been shown in practice. This is especially true given the fact that the Stinger has a very vast area of targets - 5-7 kilometers depending on the variant - to cover.
Of course, the most pressing issue remains the response time, since the operator has only a short window of time between the arrival of a cruise missile in the impacted region and the firing of the missile. In contrast, the more modern version of the Avenger is equipped with a control automation system that seeks to position the launchers towards the target, which considerably lowers the amount of time necessary to locate and capture the target.
Without a doubt, dependable air defense should include the separation and combination of long-range SAMs and fighters with short-range air defense equipment as well as their ultra-high organization and complementarity in order to be effective in any situation. But you have to start somewhere, and that somewhere is somewhere. And the most important thing is to do it as soon as possible, in the most practical and successful manner possible.