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    Officially: Ukraine got HARMs and fires them from MiG-29s

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    Mystery solved – at least in its most important points. The Pentagon has already officially confirmed that the Ukrainian armed forces received AGM-88 HARM anti-radiation missiles. What’s more, an official of the US Department of Defense informed during a press briefing that Ukraine uses MiG-i as carriers of the HARMs – which means that they must be MiG-29 fighters, as they are the only machines from the Mikojan and Guriewicz’s “stable” in the Ukrainian aviation.

    On August 9, we wrote that the US Undersecretary of Defense Colin Kahl confirmed that one of the recent arms deliveries to Ukraine included anti-radiation missiles. It is true that their type has not yet been disclosed, but the only alternative to HARMs would be Soviet-made missiles, such as the Ch-31P or Ch-58, obtained by the Americans after the collapse of the USSR.

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    Clues indicating the suspension of HARMs under the wings of the MiG-29 appeared a few days ago. Five days ago, we noticed a recording made by a MiG-29 pilot of the Ukrainian Air Force. In the 70th second of the film, a pixelated missile appears under the wing of a fighter jet. Hiding it in this way suggested that it was not a weapon of Soviet origin. Today we can say with probability bordering on certainty that it is a HARM.

    The briefing, during which we obtained confirmation of the use of HARMs by Ukraine, focused on the issue of the next batch of weapons for Ukraine. As part of the USD 775 million package, Ukraine is to receive ammunition for MLRS / HIMARS systems, sixteen 105-millimeter L119 howitzers, 2,000 Javelin and TOW anti-tank guided missiles, fifteen Boeing Insitu ScanEagle drones or MRAP-y International M1224 MaxxPro with anti-mine trawls . The last three items on the list are new – so far the Americans have either not donated these types of equipment or have not informed about it.

    The briefing official emphasized that Ukrainians were successfully using HARMs to destroy Russian radar stations, and hinted that due to this success, the Pentagon will provide Kiev with more missiles.

    “The planes they integrated the missile with are MiG-i,” said the official, quoted by The War Zone. – We decided that it would be technically possible and based on this assessment we equipped the possibilities [Ukrainę] in this ability.

    Still, many question marks remain. First of all, it is not known which variant of HARMs were transferred to Ukraine. We do not know whether the Ukrainians were helped by the Americans or (according to some unofficial but usually well informed sources) by the Israelis. It is also not known how exactly the integration of the missiles with Fulcrums was implemented, and thus – we do not know whether the Ukrainian HARMs have a full range of possibilities and modes of operation, and especially whether they can be used in self-defense mode, which ensures the highest probability of striking the target. but requires the ability to “talk” between the airplane and the missile over a data bus.

    An interesting hypothesis put forward by Joseph Trevithick is that of integrating not single-seat fighters, but two-seat “slits”. Due to the lack of an on-board radar station, for example, they have less combat potential and are simply less needed by the air force. therefore they could be delegated to hunt for Russian radars. Added to this is the issue of a two-person crew. As in radio-electronic warfare machines such as the EA-18G Growler, the pilot could focus on piloting, and the aviator in the back seat – on operating the weapons systems.

    Ukrainian MiG-29UB.
    (Jurij Balko, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic)

    However, it would require a deep modification to the rear cabin, including removing the joystick and engine control levers to keep them out of the way. After all, the MiG-29UB is a training and combat machine, and the controls on both stands are rigidly mechanically connected. Yes, it could be done, especially since it is easier to take something out than to put it in, but it is not known if it would be worth the trouble. And let’s repeat: it is not known whether the degree of integration at all allows such virtuosity in the use of HARMs.

    On the other hand, neutralizing the enemy’s air defense is a task of the highest importance, perhaps even more important than fighting the cruise missiles falling on Ukrainian cities, so the best and most modern aircraft should be directed to him. According to this philosophy, the MiG-29MU1 and MiG-29MU2 Fulcrums should be the carriers of the HARMs. This second modernization – focused on the development of air-ground capabilities – was represented by only one unit (“blue 12”) before the war, but it is 100% known that it is integrated with precision weapons, including the TV-guided Ch-29T missiles and laser-guided bombs . Before the war, there were eighteen MiG-29MU1s, which accounted for over a third of the Fulcrum fleet.

    If Ukraine is able to use these missiles on a larger scale, it could change the image of the war in the air. Admittedly, on the one hand, Russian combat aviation is the least discredited in this war of all types of Russian armed forces (we will devote an extensive article to this issue someday, but on the other – there is no reason to be proud, especially in the last three months. operation in the frontier zone Now Ukrainians finally have a tool to counteract this threat.

    It should also be remembered that the Russians still (after six months of the war!) Disregard the enemy’s abilities or are not fully aware of them. We saw this in the recent attacks on Russian airbases where satellite images show that planes were lined up in neat rows, without adherence to elementary security procedures, as if no one could imagine an attack to take place. It is possible that the operators of the Russian radar stations will show a similar disregard and will facilitate the opponent’s work.

    So now it is necessary to ask the question about the next step: will and when will Ukraine get combat planes? Slovakia seems to be the most likely donor at the moment, but Defense Minister Jaroslav Naď said last week that no decisions had yet been made and that (contrary to some media reports) the Slovak MiG-i had certainly not yet reached Ukraine. For now, Ukrainians can count on regular supplies of spare parts for the MiG-29.

    See also: Possible longer service of Ohio-type submarines

    US Air National Guard / Tech. Sgt. Charles Vaughn

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