The Ukrainian Air Defense Forces combined a launcher of the "Kub" missile complex with a firing system of the "Buk" system to counter Russian jet attack drones of the "Shahed" type. The operation of the configuration was demonstrated by the 156th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment “Maxim Krivonos“.
According to the military, the joint actions of the two systems led to the downing of approximately 20 air targets, most of which were Russian jet attack drones.
How the combination works
“Buk“ detects the target or receives its coordinates, then engages it for automatic tracking. The system's radar illuminates the target continuously and transmits a command to the “Kub“ launcher, which uses 3M9 missiles.
The missile flies autonomously to the target. When the distance is shortened, its onboard homing head captures the signal from the „Buk“ radar, reflected from the target. Thus, the „Kub“ launcher can use its missile in a configuration in which radar detection and guidance are provided by the „Buk“.
„This combined configuration has proven to be quite effective in destroying air targets. Joint actions involving „Kub“ and „Buk“ led to the downing of approximately 20 air targets“, the Ukrainian military reports.A possibility that was already laid down during the transition to „Buk“
Analysts from the military portal „Militarny“ indicate that the joint use of the systems in a single network is based on their similar architecture. According to them, the solution partially overcomes the main drawback of the “Kub“ - the lack of an autonomous radar for illumination and guidance. For the “Buk“ the advantage is access to missiles designed for the “Kub“.
The authors note that although such a combination is not typical, the technical possibility of using missiles from one system with the other was foreseen even during the transition of the air defense forces from the “Kub“ to the “Buk“ in the 70s and 80s of the 20th century. The 9A38 self-propelled firing system for the “Kub-M4“ was created precisely for this purpose.
Sources: news.bg