In 2011, the military department of Ukraine announced that the military budget allows it to purchase 10 units of domestic Oplot tanks, modernize 24 tanks to the Bulat level, modernize and repair 21 aircraft, five helicopters, 40 aircraft engines, more than 600 units ground equipment. In addition, 430 million hryvnias were allocated for the creation of a Haiduk-type corvette, 345 million hryvnias for the construction of the An-70 transport aircraft, 205 million hryvnias for the creation of a unified ACS of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and 105 million hryvnias for the multifunctional RK Sapsan of modular type. This is practically the first time in many years when Ukraine has invested significant money in the creation and purchase of weapons.
The creation of the multifunctional Sapsan missile system begins in 2006, when the NSDC decides to start building a domestic wide-profile missile system. However, there was practically no funding for the project, and in 2009 alone the developers received almost $ 7 million for the preliminary design. Most of these funds were transferred to the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau, a smaller part to NSAU as the project coordinator. Tests of the newest Ukrainian complex "Sapsan" were planned for 2013, however, due to underfunding over the past three years, the test dates are gradually being postponed. According to the general director of NSAU, if there is today the money needed to complete the development of Sapsan, we are talking about an amount of 450 million dollars, then the armed forces of Ukraine will be able to receive multifunctional missile systems in three years. The Yuzhnoye design bureau has not created such a class of complexes and missiles for them for a long time, but the capacities and personnel, with the help of which it will be possible to solve the task before 2015-2016, have remained intact.
MF OTRK "Sapsan" was created on the basis of its predecessors, the projects "Thunder" and "Borisfen". "Borisfen" has been developed by the Yuzhnoye design bureau since 1994 as a short- and medium-range OTRK, "Thunder" is practically an export improved version of the OTRK, operating on targets of 80-290 kilometers. But due to lack of funding, lack of foreign customers, organizational and staffing problems, work on these projects was stopped. Today, the designers have tried to make Sapsan incorporate all the best from them, and have applied a number of unique technologies in the project.
Expert opinions
Director of the CIACR, a Ukrainian nongovernmental research organization, V. Badrak said that the creation and adoption of the MF OTRK "Sapsan" will ensure an increase in the military-patriotic spirit, an increase in the morale and psychological state of Ukrainian military personnel, because Ukraine during its independence practically did not purchase domestic systems weapons.
Director of military programs N. Sungurovsky of the Razumkov Analytical Center, regarding the creation of Sapsan, has a different opinion - “if we do not have foreign customers, the project will be at least unprofitable. Today Ukraine does not have an urgent need for such a complex”.
A number of experts also have doubts about the need for the MF OTRK "Sapsan". On the territory of Ukraine, now there is no equipped test site for testing, and this is, as a result, additional costs for its creation.
The editor-in-chief of Moscow Defense Brief, an English-language Russian weapons magazine, suggested that Ukraine has little chance of bringing the project to production. The question is not about the designers of the Yuzhnoye design bureau, who, under favorable conditions, will be able to bring the project to its logical end, the question is more political, because the MF OTRK Sapsan will be, upon its creation, not convenient for either Russia or NATO. And it practically has no chance to compete with the Russian Iskander OTRK, because it has already been created, is being produced, is in the army and is constantly being improved.
Russia
In 2010, there was an alternative to the creation of the MF OTRK "Sapsan" - some Ukrainian officials spoke in favor of the purchase of Russian OTRK "Iskander-E". This alternative is beneficial for Russia both economically and in terms of competition - after such an acquisition, there can be no question of creating such a complex with missiles. Today Russia has a technological advantage in many areas, and Ukraine cannot economically or technologically produce and modernize a wide range of military equipment and weapons.
NATO
Ukraine's military initiatives are also not beneficial to the North Atlantic Alliance. If we take Bulgaria, Hungary and Slovakia recently admitted to NATO, then one of the conditions for their entry was just the disbandment of their missile units. And the insistence of the United States from Ukraine to liquidate the Scud missile system, in accordance with the agreements on the INF Treaty and joining the international MTCR, led to the fact that Ukraine ahead of schedule dismantled the Scud missile systems, which, in principle, did not fall under the signed documents. But the price of the issue was only 2.4 billion dollars, the amount of the contract that Iraq paid to Ukraine for the supply of Ukrainian tanks. Obtaining the largest contract in the history of Ukraine for the supply of weapons was not done without the help of the United States. The rearmament of the Iraqi army comes from the funds allocated by the American government under the program of rearmament of the Iraqi army.
Ukraine
But despite the pressure, the opinions of well-known experts, alternative ideas for the acquisition of foreign OTRK, Ukraine found the strength to make a decision on the creation and acquisition of the MF OTRK "Sapsan". After all, who and what would not say, and the OTRK and MLRS available for the Armed Forces of Ukraine have almost completely exhausted their resource. Requires either the modernization of weapons or their replacement. It will not be possible to carry out modernization - components and missiles are not produced in Ukraine, besides, such a variety of military equipment is already beyond the means of the military budget of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The existing Tochka-U complexes will completely exhaust their resource by 2016.
Perspectives
The development, creation, and commissioning of the APU of one, but multifunctional RK of the "Sapsan" type for Ukraine is now an economically correct and optimal solution. The complex will be able to replace a number of anti-aircraft, anti-ship and anti-missile systems. Solving the problems of the production of the Sapsan complex will require the coordinated work of almost 200 companies and enterprises, which will make it possible to create additional jobs.
MF OTRK "Sapsan" today is a survival test for Ukraine, the failure of the project will become a real threat to become forever dependent on technologically developed countries, will lead to a strong weakening of the external and internal image of Ukraine, which will not be able to protect its citizens from possible military aggression. Ukraine, like Russia, has invaluable experience in the creation of missiles and military equipment, today it is truly taking the first step in the creation of Ukrainian missile weapons. And I want to believe that the future complex will be a healthy competition for Russian models, thereby pushing for the further development and modernization of missile systems.
MF OTRK "Sapsan"
In terms of its performance characteristics, the multifunctional Sapsan confidently surpasses the Tochka-U OTRK. According to available data, the probability of hitting targets will be at least 87 percent, KVO no more than 20 meters with a range of up to 280 kilometers. Efficiency will be ensured by low vulnerability and high mobility of the complex. "Sapsan" will be based on the KrAZ chassis, and missiles in containers will not require costly maintenance in operation. If we compare it with the Russian analogue of Iskander-E, then the complex will be more compact (21 tons versus 42 tons), mobile and slightly more accurate (KVO up to 20 meters versus up to 30 meters). The cost of the complex, according to the developers, will be significantly lower compared to the Russian Iskander complex, the estimated cost of which is $ 300 million. The developers also noted that the development of the MF OTRK "Sapsan" will cost much less than the development of the OTRK "Iskander" - 450 million dollars against one billion dollars. The expected time of admission to the Armed Forces of Ukraine is 2017. Pre-order is expected for 200 units of MF OTRK "Sapsan". In January 2012, the military department of Ukraine reported that they plan to provide the Sapsan with a container with a ballistic missile. The prospect of a complex with anti-ship missiles is currently unknown.
Preliminary characteristics:
- the composition of the complex is 2-3 SPU;
- weight of SPU 21 tons;
- chassis - KrAZ;
- the time for the start-up is 2-20 minutes;
- missile armament: non-nuclear ballistic missiles, long-range missiles, medium-range anti-ship missiles;
- range of action: BR 30-280 km, SAM 10-150 km, anti-ship missiles 5-90 km;
- TPK mortar start.
