One of the best-kept secrets of the Russian-Ukrainian war is how Western weaponry has been integrated for use on Russian/Soviet-origin platforms in service with the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Throughout the conflict, which shows no signs of ending soon, we have seen MiG-29 fighters equipped with HARM anti-radiation missiles on air defense suppression missions, or Sukhoi Su-24s used as launch platforms for Storm Shadow cruise missiles. Through the viral spread of images on social media, new images of what specialists call the Frankenstein air defense system have come to light. This system uses a Buk-M1 9A310M as a launch platform and RIM-7 Sea Sparrow missiles provided by the United States.
The existence of the Frankenstein air defense system is well known within the Ukrainian Armed Forces. However, to date, there aren’t many photographs that reveal its secrets, allowing us to understand how a Buk-M1 system (NATO designation: SA-11 Gadfly) has been integrated and adapted to launch U.S.-origin missiles. Although there were various projects and attempts to achieve this in the past, they did not materialize, either due to lack of resources or mere interest.
Thanks to two photographs released on social media, the mentioned system and its crews can be seen, with the Frankenstein covered by a camouflage net. Presumably, four RIM-7 missiles can be differentiated in their respective containers. This indicates the naval origin of the missiles, as their respective steering fins are folded within the container until ejected with the ignition of the rocket motor, unlike their air-launched AIM-7 version.
As reported at the beginning of 2023, the U.S. government officially confirmed the provision of a batch of RIM-7 Sea Sparrow missiles to Ukraine, without detailing the exact quantity. Since then, questions have arisen about the launch platform for these missiles, originally employed by U.S. Navy combat ships and other naval forces, continuing in service with their more modern version, the RIM-162 Block I ESSM.
In the past, various attempts have been recorded to employ Russian/Soviet-origin defense systems with Western-origin missiles, including attempts with 2K12 Kub (SA-6 Gainful) systems. According to the specialized outlet The War Zone, this initial Frankenstein was a proposal by the Polish company Wojskowe Zakłady Uzbrojenia (WZU) to provide Eastern European armed forces with a more economical alternative to improve their air defenses. However, no orders were listed, and this system became another attempt that fell into oblivion until the invasion of February 2022.
Following The War Zone‘s report, another example of these initial Frankensteins can be found in the Czech Republic, when the company Retia presented an adapted version of a Kub family system equipped with an Italian-origin Aspide 2000 missile, which is itself a derivative of the AIM-7E on which the RIM-7 Sea Sparrow is based. To these precedents, we must add the experience accumulated by the United States with various types of Russian-Soviet-origin systems acquired during the Cold War, as well as after the fall of the Soviet Union and the collapse of the Eastern Bloc with its satellite states.
As the reader can appreciate, the aforementioned precedents, to which more could be added that are not publicly known, suggest that this will not be the last Frankenstein we will see in service with the Ukrainian Armed Forces. To date, intended for short-range air defense and considering the original characteristics of the RIM-7, these systems fulfill roles in defense against unmanned aerial vehicles and cruise missiles, complemented by other Western air defense systems of greater performance and range, which gain greater relevance while Soviet-Russian-origin systems are relegated due to attrition or losses in combat actions.
Photographs: Credits to whom it may concern.
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