“Buk and Sea Sparrow team up to present unique air defense system in Ukraine
The Ukrainian Air Force has published official photos of the FrankenSAM air defense system for the first time. It is a Soviet Buk-M1 anti-aircraft missile system capable of using American RIM-7 Sea Sparrow missiles.
We learned about FrankenSAM last year. The creation of such a system is intended to partially solve the problem of the Ukrainian Air Force’s lack of Soviet missiles to counter air threats. The air defense system was baptized in mid-January 2024. The first target was the Shahed-136 kamikaze drone.
The published photos show a 9A310 self-propelled launcher. It is covered with a camouflage net, but apparently the trigger mechanism has not been altered. The 9C35 radar station remained unchanged.
The FrankenSAM project was developed by Ukrainian and American experts in response to the lack of Soviet 9M38 anti-aircraft missiles. Tests of the modernized air defense system took place in the United States last fall.
The Sea Sparrow can engage targets up to 15 km in altitude and 20 km in range. For comparison, the 9M38 is capable of shooting down air threats at a maximum range of 20 km and 30 km, respectively.
