According to reports, the U.S. is producing so-called FrankenSAM systems to address vulnerabilities in Ukrainian air defense. This is reported by the German news website n-tv.de.
These systems combine modern Western weapon systems with Soviet equipment from past eras. The “New York Times” reports that Ukraine urgently needs additional air defense systems to protect its power supply during the winter from potential Russian attacks. An example of this are ground-based air defense missiles of Western design, combined with retrofitted Soviet launch devices or radar systems already in possession of the Ukrainian armed forces.
Various variations of such combinations have been tested at military bases in the U.S. in recent months and are set to be delivered to Ukraine this fall. This information comes from high-ranking U.S. defense officials referenced by the newspaper.
Image: president.gov.ua, Робоча поїздка Президента України на Запоріжжя 70, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (image size modified)
