Ukrainian Su‑27 Strikes: The precision hunt to weaken Russian air defences

The Ukrainian Su-27 aircraft from the 831st Tactical Aviation Brigade attacked Russian air defence radars using a pair of specialized anti-radiation missiles, AGM-88 HARM.

In the video below, we can see how the Ukrainian pilot of the Su-27 aircraft conducts a SEAD mission, short for Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses. It shows the Su-27 launching two AGM-88 HARM missiles, indicating an attack on at least two radar stations.

These were most likely "activated" earlier by old missiles, drones, or ADM‑160B MALD family decoys. It's quite possible that we are seeing a case of "paving the way" for Storm Shadow cruise missiles because the only defence against AGM-88 HARM missiles is to shoot them down or to turn off and quickly relocate the radar.

AGM-88 HARM is an anti-radiation missile designed to home in on-the-radar emissions from air defence radars. Radars are crucial since they provide detailed data on the speed, direction of flight, and altitude of the target necessary to guide their anti-aircraft missiles to it.

This means that eliminating radars neutralizes the entire anti-aircraft battery, whose location is unknown. The missile can accurately hone in on the radar position if it operates. For this reason, one of the key tactics of both Ukrainians and Russians is to operate radars only momentarily based on data from other sources to shoot down and then quickly change positions.

It's worth noting that SEAD missions, carried out by military aviation, are among the most dangerous tasks, as the pilots executing them are essentially tasked with eliminating systems designed to hunt down aircraft. For this reason, the squadrons performing them have been dubbed "Wild Weasel."

Moreover, in Western countries, specialized machines equipped with additional systems for detecting, analyzing, and locating radar emissions, like the Panavia Tornado ECR and EA-18G Growler, have been developed. However, Ukrainians use conventional aircraft like the Su-27 and MiG-29 and rely on a simplified method of using missiles requiring, for example, loading an "area of interest" into them before the aircraft's departure.

The AGM-88 HARM (High-speed Anti-Radiation Missile) missiles were introduced into service in 1983. They underwent their first baptism of fire during NATO's "Allied Force" operation against Serbia, where a system flaw was revealed. It was found that after radar was turned off, the missiles lost their target, which was rectified in later versions by adding satellite and inertial navigation, allowing the missile to attack the last known radar position.

The missiles travel at a speed of Mach 2 (about 2450 km/h) and have a warhead weighing about 66 kg. Their range varies significantly depending on the version, ranging from about 50 km to 150 km.

Then, in 2010, the AGM-88E AARGM version debuted, adding an active radar-homing head capable of autonomously searching for and homing in on defined targets that may have moved a few hundred metres away. This variant also formed the basis for the AGM-88G AARGM-ER missiles ordered by Poland, with a range of even 250 km thanks to a different rocket engine.