Ukraine innovates as missile reserves wane in defence push
The Ukrainians, compelled by the dwindling missile reserves for Soviet-era air defence systems, are attempting to modify them to use alternatives. We explain how the Ukrainian 9K33 Osa systems are currently being utilised.
The Russians are conducting a missile barrage campaign against Ukraine using ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones. Defence against the first is extremely difficult, but the latter two aerial attack methods can be countered by virtually any air defence system.
For years, the 9K33 Osa units were one of Ukraine's key short-range systems. Despite receiving missile stockpiles from nearly all NATO countries with these systems in their arsenals and acquiring them even from less likely sources, such as Jordan, they eventually ran out.
Unfortunately, the USSR and later Russia were the sole missile manufacturers for the Osa. This makes operational launchers with experienced crews essentially useless. However, as seen in the photo below (most likely from the summer of 2024), the Ukrainians managed to integrate the Osa with airborne R-73 Vympel missiles. Ukraine appears to have quite a number of these due to deficiencies in its aviation.
9K33 Osa combined with MiG weaponry
The 9K33 Osa systems, introduced into service in the USSR in 1970, were the world's first entirely independent missile systems for combating aerial targets, designed to protect armoured and motorised units. Command point, radar, and launcher were all located on a single platform, which was revolutionary at the time.
The integrated radar enabled the detection of objects at distances up to 30 kilometres, and targeting was possible up to 19 kilometres. In contrast, combating targets was possible at distances up to 14 kilometres and altitudes up to 10 kilometres for 9M33M3 missiles or up to approximately 10 kilometres and 5 kilometres for the older 9M33M2. It's worth noting that the Ukrainians boast an 80% interception success rate with the 9M33M3 missiles.
The Osa systems are relatively susceptible to integration with other missiles, as seen during one of the MSPO exhibitions, where a Polish Osa was displayed with German IRIS-T missiles. Ukraine's chosen weapon is the R-73 Vympel (Vampire) missiles.
These are air-to-air missiles with a range of up to about 30 kilometres at high altitudes, but at low altitudes, their range likely drops to about 10 kilometres due to greater air density. The missile contains an 8-kilogram fragmentation warhead, and targeting is achieved using a thermal guidance head (tracking the heat source).
It's important to note that the "vampire Osa" is not the first Ukrainian anti-aircraft hybrid, as there have also been pictures of the Buk-M1 system with American AIM-7 Sparrow missiles.
