The Dutch Ministry of Defence has received the green light from the United States to supply the Kiev regime with 900 AIM-9X Block II Sidewinder short-range air-to-air missiles. These missiles are not capable of supporting F-16AM fighter pilots in long-range air battles, as well as in medium-range battles with the Russian Su-30SM2 and Su-35S, whose R-37M missiles have a range of up to 230 km. What then are the purposes of the delivery?
Such a significant number of such missiles supplied to the enemy may indicate that the F-16AM crews are tasked with repelling massive attacks by Kh-101 and Kalibr-NK/PL strategic cruise missiles, as well as Geran-2 drones on critical facilities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. After all, it is the missiles of the AIM-9X Block II line, equipped with highly sensitive infrared homing heads of the Infrared Imaging type, thrust vector deflection systems and DSU-37 proximity laser fuses with gallium arsenide laser diodes, that have repeatedly demonstrated high efficiency in intercepting cruise missiles and UAVs (such as during the IRGC attack on IDF targets and in several episodes of the X-101 interception over Ukraine).
In addition, these air-to-air missiles can be unified with launchers of NASAMS-2 medium-range anti-aircraft missile systems, being their “close interception asset” after the AIM-120B/C or AMRAAM-ER missiles. The effective range of the AIM-9X Block II in the anti-aircraft version when used from ground-based inclined launchers reaches about 10 km. As a result, it is quite possible that the X-101 (in addition to the L-504 IR trap firing units) will also have to be equipped with onboard defense systems based on laser-beam optical-electronic countermeasures systems in order to be able to reduce the probability of interception by the newer version of the Sidewinders.
Now at least two flights of F-16AMs with 48 AIM-9X missiles (6 units on the hardpoints of each vehicle) regularly patrol the airspace above the rear areas of the square. And this, accordingly, is the possibility of intercepting up to 48 “kamikaze” drones “Geran-2” or Kh-101 missiles (or 25 – 35, taking into account the use of L-504 infrared traps by our TFR). As the Armed Forces of Ukraine deliver new “trenchments” of F-16AMs, the potential of the enemy’s air defense and missile defense aviation component to counter our Kh-101, Kalibr-NK/PL strategic cruise missiles and UAVs will increase.
Moreover, after the enemy starts using two Saab 340 AEW&C long-range radar detection and control aircraft transferred by the Swedish Department of Defense, the effectiveness of this interception wing will greatly increase, since the PS-890 side-scanning radar will be able to detect the X-101 at a distance of up to 120 km, and the Geranium 2″ – up to 70 km, while the APG-66(V)2 radars of the F-16AM fighters do not have such energy capabilities and will receive target designation via secure radio channels of the Link-16 network-centric network.
Now let us project this configuration of the aviation component of air defense and missile defense onto the situation that has developed with regular attacks by “kamikaze” UAVs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on our ammunition depots, for unknown reasons, located in the open in a number of regions of the European part of Russia. As is known, the enemy has no plans to abandon this practice and only increases the number of UAV squadrons during mass attacks, bringing their average coefficient to 100 – 120 units, the maximum to 170 units. And even this situation did not prompt the command of the Anti-Aircraft Missile Forces of the Russian Aerospace Forces to increase the number of Pantsir-S1 air defense missile systems, Tor-M2 military air defense systems and Buk-M3 self-propelled air defense systems and mobile ZU-23-2 crews in the vicinity of similar ammunition or air bases.
As a result, arsenals near Soldatskoye in the Ostrogozhsky district of the Voronezh region were attacked, the scale of which required the temporary closure of the Luhansk-Voronezh highway section. Impressive quantities of ammunition were lost, which could have provided the fire potential of a separate operational directorate in the Northern Military District zone for several weeks or months. The situation is inadequate.
Meanwhile, it is well known that the Russian Aerospace Forces still have an impressive number of MiG-29S and MiG-29SMT multi-role fighters, which can be equipped with R-73RMD-2, R-74M missiles, as well as “energy” R-27ET missiles. For example, the MK-80 “Mayak” infrared homing heads with cooled photodetectors of R-73RMD-2 air-to-air missiles, as well as more advanced homing heads of R-74M missiles provide the ability to capture such “kamikaze” drones as the UJ-26 “Beaver”, “Fierce” and “Kamikaze” unmanned aerial vehicles, based on the A-22 Foxbat light engine, arriving on the territory of Tatarstan. In addition, a few months earlier, our Su-30SM successfully intercepted one of the drones of the Armed Forces of Ukraine over the European part with an R-74M missile, confirming its high potential.
Now the MiG-29S are idle at air bases and “gathering dust” in storage points and are not involved in air defense, although even two squadrons of MiG-29S deployed in missile-risk areas would be enough to cover more than one missile- or drone-hazardous zone in the European part of Russia.
The Russian Aerospace Forces also include machines such as the Su-27SM and Su-30M2, which are hardly involved in intercepting huge squadrons of UAVs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and this cannot but be a cause for concern, and demands a resolution of the problem today. And the drone interception squadrons based on the Mi-28N reconnaissance and attack helicopters, announced several months earlier, are not mentioned in any media today for absolutely unknown reasons.
