Maksym Zaichenko, a serviceman of the 3rd Army Corps (formerly the 3rd Assault Brigade), has published photos on Facebook showing an interesting air defense system that has appeared in public for the first time.
The system’s defining feature is its use of R-73 short-range air-to-air missiles, mounted in a twin-launcher configuration on the truck bed of a vehicle that seems to be an armored HMMWV, as indicated by the placement of metal arcs for mirrors and the wiper arrangement. There’s also an electronic warfare system for protection against FPV drone attacks.
Apparently, the photograph was taken around summer, suggesting that the system has been in service for a while now, even though it has never been caught on camera.
The new air defense system bears some resemblance to the American M1097 Avenger, which employs FIM-92 Stinger missiles and, in some configurations, a 12.7 mm Browning machine gun. The Armed Forces of Ukraine are well familiar with these vehicles and use them to shoot down UAVs, intercept missiles, and ambush low-flying aircraft. Much like the Avenger, the new system will likely perform similar functions.
However, a more direct counterpart would be the American MIM-72 Chaparral, which entered U.S. Army service in 1969. The Chaparral was equipped with a slightly modified AIM-9D short-range air-to-air missile featuring infrared guidance — so does the R-73.
Launching such missiles requires the homing seeker to lock onto a target before launch. It requires very precise positioning and continuous tracking until firing. The exact control mechanism of the Ukrainian system remains unknown; it could involve direct operator control, as seen in the MIM-72 Chaparral, or a more advanced remote-control system with electro-optical targeting.
A broader trend has emerged in adapting R-73 missiles for ground-based air defense. The United Kingdom has developed the Gravehawk system specially for Ukraine, while Ukrainian forces have integrated R-73 missiles into Soviet-era Osa launchers and even mounted them on Magura V5 unmanned surface vessels. The newly revealed system adds to this expanding list of adaptations within the 3rd Army Corps.
Additionally, the Norwegian company Kongsberg is planning to integrate an unspecified Ukrainian missile into the NASAMS surface-to-air system. While the exact model has not been disclosed, the R-73 is a strong candidate. All this implies that, firstly, this missile has proven itself effective, and secondly, there’s no shortage in supply.
There is no confirmed data on the engagement range of these adapted surface-launched R-73 systems. However, in its original air-to-air role, the R-73 has a range of 20 to 40 km, depending on the variant. When launched from the ground, its range would be significantly reduced.
Serbia once experimented with adapting R-60 and R-73 missiles for surface launch in the 1990s, equipping them with additional boosters to extend their effective range to 12 km.
The new SAM uses R-73 missiles without such a booster, the operating range will be more modest. Possibly, Ukrainians have upgraded the missile to increase the range.
The R-73s featured in the photo appear to not have such modifications, so they should have a more limited range. Or, Ukrainians could have upgraded the missile in a different way to increase the range.
After all, upgrades and modernizations have progressively extended the range of the AIM-9 Sidewinder, a comparable U.S. missile. Early versions from the 1950s had a range of just 5 km, while later variants like the AIM-9M (introduced in the 1980s) reached 20 km, up to 30 km in the most modern AIM-9X iteration.