AIM-7 Sparrow: how these missiles will strengthen the air defense of Ukraine

Another defense aid package for Ukraine from the United States includes the AIM-7 Sparrow medium-range semi-active radar homing air defense missile.

The allocation of this package was announced on May 31, 2023. The cost of the entire support package is $300 million.

This was the first official message from the United States to transfer an unnamed number of AIM-7 missiles to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Aircraft missiles in various modifications are or were previously in the service of armies from different countries.

These missiles are also used in ground and surface anti-aircraft missile systems under various designations.

These U.S. weapons are transferred to Ukraine’s Armed Forces to strengthen air defense against constant missile and air strikes by Russian invaders on military and critical infrastructure facilities.

AIM-7 can destroy various aerial targets, such as enemy combat aircraft, cruise missiles, and drones.

Will Ukrainian fighter jets be able to use AIM-7 Sparrow missiles

The specific systems for utilizing Sparrow missiles are currently unknown, but it is unlikely that Ukrainian warplanes will employ these aircraft missiles.

Although Ukraine is experienced in using Western aviation armaments on Soviet-type aircraft currently in service with the Ukrainian Air Force, such solutions are unlikely to be used for an AIM-7 missile.

One of the arguments is that this missile must interact with the aircraft’s onboard electronics. But it is known that neither the MiG-29 nor the Su-27, which are currently in the core of Ukrainian fighter jets, are adapted to the use of Western air-to-air missiles.

At the same time, Ukrainian warplanes have adapted to the use of American HARM anti-radiation missiles; its Ukrainian fighter jets are used to defeat the radars of the Russian SAMs, counter-battery radars, and modern self-propelled SAMs, such as the Tor and Pantsir-S1.

Photos of the affected Russian Тоr-М2 air defense system with the HARM missile were published last year. An anti-radiation missile exploded a few meters above the rear of the self-propelled launcher, causing a fire and striking electronic systems.

In addition, Ukrainian aircraft use precision bombs with a JDAM kit against Russian invaders.

Recently, Ukrainian military aircraft of Soviet heritage have undergone modifications to incorporate Storm Shadow cruise missiles, provided to Ukraine by the United Kingdom.

Last week, the Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Oleksii Reznikov, published a leaflet with a Su-24MR front-line reconnaissance aircraft, on which, presumably, this cruise missile is mounted.

However, all these solutions were implemented without significant changes in onboard aircraft electronic equipment and designs. Therefore, this experience is unlikely to allow the use of Western air-to-air missiles by Ukrainian fighter jets because this requires a significant update of the aircraft and their outdated onboard equipment.

And given the age of MiG-29 and Su-27 aircraft that could potentially be carriers of AIM-7 Sparrow missiles, such upgrades do not make sense. Soon, these fighters will exhaust their service lives and will not be able to perform combat missions.

That is why Ukraine asks its international partners to provide modern Western combat aircraft, preliminarily, it should be the F-16s.

This American-made fighter is able to use almost the entire line of aviation armament by NATO countries.

A new life for Ukrainian Buk SAMs

Therefore, a likely way to use AIM-7 missiles may be their launch from surface-to-air missile systems. Both Soviet-era equipment and modern assets provided by our partners will be utilized for this purpose.

But Ukraine can count on more than just the classic AIM-7. Back in January, Politico reported that the Armed Forces of Ukraine would receive RIM-7 Sea Sparrow anti-aircraft missiles from the United States. They are based on the AIM-7 Sparrow air-to-air missile.

This semi-active radar homing missile is used to provide air and missile defense (enemy anti-ship missiles) to warships in the near zone. RIM-7 differs from the base version by the fins, which are revealed after the missile exits the launch container.

At the same time, information appeared that, according to Politiko sources, the Ukrainian defense industry was able to integrate these American missiles with the Soviet-era Buk self-propelled air defense system.

The transfer of air defense systems and anti-aircraft missiles to the Armed Forces of Ukraine is associated with a decrease in missile reserves for Soviet air defense systems. Before the start of the full-scale Russian invasion, they formed the basis of Ukraine’s air defense.

For more than a year of large-scale war with Russian invaders, Ukrainian air defense has repelled constant missile and air strikes by Russians and neutralized enemy drones of various purposes, which, in particular, also affect civilian infrastructure in peaceful Ukrainian cities.

Therefore, the reserve of anti-aircraft missiles is decreasing, and it is almost impossible to replenish them because full-fledged production of missiles for Soviet air defense systems was established only on the territory of the Russian Federation.

A number of states supporting Ukraine have transferred Soviet-type missiles from their stockpiles to various air defense systems, but their number is also limited, and the intensity of Russian air strikes forces the Ukrainian military to use ammunition to neutralize enemy missiles and drones.

RIM-7 Sea Sparrow was created in the early 1960s on the basis of an AIM-7 Sparrow air-to-air missile to combat anti-ship missiles. Produced by Raytheon.

The single-stage RIM-7 missile has a semi-active radar homing head. To defeat the target, it needs illumination from the radar – guidance, which is part of the anti-aircraft system.

The missile has the following dimensions: length – 3.7 m, diameter – 0.2 m, wingspan – 1 m. The operational weight of the RIM-7 is 231 kg, and the weight of the warhead is 40 kg.

For comparison, the missile from the 9М38 Buk SAM has significantly larger dimensions: the length is 5.55 m, the diameter is 0.4 m, the operational weight is 685 kg.

The maximum speed of the Sea Sparrow RIM-7 is 2.5-3 Mach.

The missile can shoot down air targets at a maximum range of 19 km and at an altitude of 8 meters to 15 km.

AIM-7 Sparrow missile in SAMs

It is worth recalling that last year Spain handed over to Ukraine Aspide short-range ground-based anti-aircraft missile systems, which are also known as Skyguard Aspide. The SAM is armed with Aspide missiles or an upgraded version of the Aspide 2000. These missiles are based on a licensed version of the American RIM-7E Sea Sparrow missile.

The Aspide air defense system can be used against aircraft, helicopters, and drones, including shooting down cruise missiles.

The launcher of the system, with four missiles in separate containers and radar target illumination antennas, is located on a towed wheel platform. Preferably, these SAMs are used for the defense of stationary objects.

Experience of AIM-7 integration into Soviet anti-aircraft missile systems

At the turn of the 2000s, at least two companies from Eastern Europe showed their versions of adapting the Soviet 2К12 Kub missile launcher to Sea Sparrow missiles or their variations.

One of the versions was presented by the Polish Wojskowe Zakłady Uzbrojenia (WZU). This upgrade was presented in 2008. In this modification, the launcher was not significantly changed. The presented model was demonstrated with two Sea Sparrow missiles and one missile, which is considered the base for the Kub air defense system.

Technology is there. About 15 years WZU nr2 integrated Sea Sparrow into 2K12 ”Kub”. pic.twitter.com/EBQtNrtQGB

— Kamil Sietes (@KSietes) January 6, 2023

The Polish WZU also showed the option of adapting the Kub air defense system for American RIM-162 ESSM anti-aircraft missiles.

However, there were no buyers for both versions of the modification of the Soviet air defense system. All these developments remained at the stage of prototypes.

The Czech company Retia unveiled an updated version of the Kub air defense system in 2011, incorporating three launch containers from the Aspide air defense system. Despite its introduction, this development did not attract any buyers.

By the way, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, as part of their military assistance, transferred to Ukraine the Kub 2К12 SAMs and anti-aircraft missiles.

For security reasons, neither the Ukrainian side nor other countries report details about cooperation in the defense sphere. Therefore, it is not known whether Ukrainian specialists used the development of their European colleagues in adapting Soviet air defense systems for missiles from the United States or whether they themselves, together with the Americans, found their own technical solutions.

The AIM-7 Sparrow missiles have been withdrawn from service by the US military but are still being operated in other countries. Ukraine can probably expect to receive a significant number of such missiles to protect against Russian attacks.

Conclusion

Although we do not know for certain how Ukraine will use the missiles received from the United States, Sparrow AIM-7 will somehow help replenish the ammunition of the Ukrainian air defense. This will ensure the further effective destruction of a significant number of enemy air targets in the Ukrainian sky.

Effective air defense work is a significant component of the success of the Ukrainian Defense Forces in confronting the full-scale Russian invasion. And it’s not just about protecting peaceful cities. The Armed Forces of Ukraine must fight enemy combat aircraft and protect military facilities from missile strikes and kamikaze drones.