Ukraine missile industry to develop active/passive-homing seeker for R-27

Three of the most prominent Ukrainian missile and electronics companies have agreed to develop a new dual-mode active/passive radar-homing air-to-air missile (AAM) seeker. This guidance package is not for a new missile programme, but would instead be retrofitted to existing models of the Vympel R-27 (AA-10 Alamo A/C/E/F) AAMs.

The seeker will not be presented as an alternative to nations looking to purchase the Russian-made RVV-AE (AA-12) active-homing AAM, "and is not an initiative to displace Russia in its traditional markets", according to representatives of these companies who spoke with IHS Jane's during the AviaSvit Ukraine National Aerospace Exhibition at the Gostomel aerodrome near Kiev.

Instead, state Ukrainian engineers and marketing executives familiar with this design proposal said that this seeker will be offered as an upgrade option to those nations that have a substantial number of the R-27R/ER AAMs equipped with the older-generation AGAT 9B-1101K semi-active homing seeker, and/or R-27P/EP models fitted with the Avtomatika 9B-1032 passive, anti-radiation seeker still in their inventory.

The semi-active guided variant of the R-27 was widely exported to almost every nation that currently has MiG-29, Su-27/Su-30-series, or other Russian-designed fighter aircraft as part of their air force order of battle.

Save The Last Foxtrot For Me

The Ukrainian Navy got its only submarine (the Zaporozhye) back into service. The 40 year old Foxtrot class boat has been out of action for 18 years and was recently refurbished. Zaporozhye is the only sub in the Ukrainian Navy, which mainly consists of small, Cold War era frigates (one) and corvettes (seven). There are also two amphibious ships and six minesweepers. The Foxtrot class diesel-electric subs were designed in the late 1950s, and 58 were built until production ended in 1983. These are 1,900 ton boats with ten torpedo tubes and a crew of 78. Russia retired all of its Foxtrots by 2000, but they were all obsolete by the early 1980s. The Zaporozhye is the last Foxtrot still in service.

The Black Sea has not been kind to submarines. Three years ago the Russian Black Sea Fleet suffered a major blow when its only operational submarine, a 19 year old Kilo class boat, broke down at sea and limped back to port on partial power. The only other sub in the fleet, a 32 year old Tango class boat, was undergoing repairs (and still is but will soon be scrapped). During the Cold War the Black Sea Fleet had thirty or more submarines.

The Black Sea Fleet is a pretty ragtag outfit, equipped with Cold War leftovers (the Kilo class sub was the youngest major ship it has). Most of the fifteen major surface ships are in need of repair, or not able to leave port at all. Some of the twenty minesweepers and missile equipped patrol boats date from the 1990s, but for the most part, the Black Sea Fleet is a rest home for Cold War relics.

The Black Sea fleet has been continually declining since the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991. That decline was the result of new countries (like Ukraine and Georgia) inheriting old Soviet ships and bases. That was the dissolution deal. Whatever Soviet weapons or bases were normally, belonged to one of the 14 new nations. Most of Russia’s high seas ships were based in northern Russia (the Northern fleet, based next to Finland and Norway) or the Far East (the Pacific fleet, based north of China and North Korea). But the Baltic and Black Sea fleets were largely based in ports that were now part of a foreign nation. Russia negotiated several leases on their large naval base in Ukraine (Sevastopol) and the latest deal lasts until 2042. Russia is also building a new base to the east, on the Russian Black Sea coast, just in case there are problems with Ukraine.

Ukraine, U.S. Pilots Fly on Sea Breeze Patrols

Ukrainian and American naval aircrew are taking part in joint patrol flights in the Black Sea this week as part of the international Sea Breeze 2012 military exercises which started on July 9 in the port city of Odessa, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said on Tuesday.

The Ukrainian and U.S. forces are carrying out exercises simulating anti-piracy and humanitarian operations, the ministry says.

The main aim of the exercise is to develop joint operations procedures for the use in the Black Sea, said Col. Andrei Orlov of the Ukraine Defense Ministry's at a meeting with Lockheed P-3 Orion patrol aircrew at Odessa airport.

"During the exercises, military aviators will develop search and rescue capabilities in the sea area and also train against naval air defenses. The participants will also improve cooperation in deck landings by helicopters," Orlov said.

The Ukrainian Navy will contribute a Kamov Ka-27 helicopter to the exercise from the frigate Getman Sagaidachny, a Beriev Be-12 turboprop amphibian maritime patrol aircraft and a Mil Mi-14 anti-submarine warfare helicopter.

The U.S. forces will be represented by a P-3 Orion and a ship-based Sikorsky SH-60 anti-submarine warfare helicopter.

Sea Breeze exercises by NATO forces began in 1997, and have often been with hostility by anti-NATO political forces in Ukraine, including the Communist Party. In 2009 the Ukrainian parliament withheld approval for the exercise, but it went ahead again in 2010.