USA develops FrankenSAM for Ukraine, now seeks to acquire some for its own use, mounted on truck chassis

Operating on the draft of the Nationwide Protection Authorization Act (NDAA) for the fiscal year 2025, the Committee on Armed Providers of the U.S. Senate (SASC) has proposed to contain a supply of FrankenSAM programs to the American navy.

These improvised air protection units, initially created in a hurry for the requires of the Ukrainian Protection Forces, will boost the protection of U.S. airfields, the authors of the initiative think. The FrankenSAMs are to have the identical configuration as the Ukrainian kinds and be fed with “surplus” Purpose-7 and Goal-9 missiles, The War Zone stories.

The Osa floor-to-air missile program of the Ukrainian Armed Forces tailored for firing R-73 missiles, June 2024 / Open up-resource photographs

For fiscal calendar year 2025, the exclusive committee of the U.S. Senate has proposed growing the protection finances by an additional $25 billion. It is inside this proposed finances maximize that the production of FrankenSAM systems for the U.S. armed forces has been incorporated.

The rationale behind this proposal is apparent: in the context of modern-day warfare and the growing expenses of weaponry, notably anti-plane missiles, it is important to come across value-powerful ways to equip armed forces models with air defense abilities. Specifically when there is surplus air-to-air and floor-to-air ammunition missiles that can be tailored in a way that is now remaining examined in genuine combat working disorders.

Curiously, whilst referencing Ukraine’s expertise with FrankenSAM, the Senate document mentions “programs on vans or on stationary pallets.” This an intriguing detail, as there have been no stories of Ukraine working with these configurations.

The only known truck-mounted air defense process presented to Ukraine arrived from the British isles, which supplied an improvised technique for Purpose-132 ASRAAM missiles. And there had been no reports about offer of any stationary FrankenSAMs for Ukraine.

For a brief reminder, the U.S. has transferred 3 styles of improvised air protection units to Ukraine:

1. 1. Soviet Buk SAM methods adapted to fireplace Aim-7 missiles.
2. 2. An unnamed system modified to use Aim-9 missiles.
3. 3. A hybrid program combining launchers from the Patriot air protection procedure with Soviet-made S-300 radars.