What is known about the new hypersonic missiles of the Armed Forces of Ukraine FP-7/9, the situation on the fronts — review

The press service of the Ukrainian company Fire Point, which has started production of heavy strategic cruise missiles FP-5 Flamingo with a British element base, has published an infographic with two more tactical missiles. These are the FP-7 and FP-9, which, judging by the aerodynamics, are modifications of long-range anti-aircraft missiles 5B55R and 48N6 SAM S-300PS and S-300PMU-1.

Having technical documentation with drawings of these missiles, as well as 5B55R ammunition for a couple of S-300PS divisions that survived in the Air defense forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, specialists of the Ukrainian military-industrial complex (with the technical assistance of British and American engineers from MBDA, BAE Systems and Ratheon) may well rework the guidance systems of dozens of these anti-aircraft missiles in a fairly short time to solve high-precision air-to-surface tasks.

The Ukrainian military-industrial complex may well erect production lines for the production of FP-7 and FP-9 ballistic missiles in the buried bunkers of industrial zones of large enterprises, which is perfectly realized today on the example of the production of tens of thousands of long-range kamikaze UAVs An-196 "Fierce", "Beaver", T150, etc. How dangerous are ballistic versions of the 5B55R missile system for our strategically important facilities in the European part of Russia?

We remember perfectly well that the long-range anti—aircraft guided missiles 5V28 of the S—200V complexes of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, redesigned into a ballistic modification, although they boast a huge range (up to 450-500 km) and flight speed on the descending branch of the trajectory 1100 - 900 m/s, are still intercepted quite successfully with the help of 9M82MD, 48N6DM anti-aircraft missiles and 9M317M of the S-300V4, S-400 and Buk-M3 complexes. Also, according to SMO experience, ballistic versions of 5B28 are elementary targets for 9M96DM and 57E6 anti-aircraft missiles of the S-350A Vityaz and Pantsir-S1 complexes.

Why not?

Firstly, being huge all—metal products, 5V28 rockets have a reflective surface of about 0.7 - 1.7 square meters. m (depending on the angle of irradiation). Such targets can be detected by the 91H6 detection radar of the S-400 complexes even on the active part of the trajectory after launch (at a distance of about 350 km). Consequently, the 92H6 illumination radars can already be oriented to the intended sector of capturing these missiles on the descending branch. The capture is carried out at a distance of 65 — 75 km when descending 5V28 below 60 — 45 km.

Moreover, on approach, the 5V28 missiles reach a small dive angle and do not perform anti-aircraft maneuvers, turning into simple targets for interception. So, for the entire SMO period, only one case of the arrival of a 5B28 rocket into a residential building in Taganrog is known, when a local cafe was damaged. In the remaining episodes, all missiles of this type were intercepted. And this is not to mention the huge circular probable deviation of these missiles in hundreds of meters.

With FP-7 and FP-9, obviously, the situation is completely different. Not only that, since the development of the S-300PS, the radio correction channel has been adapted to launch the 5B55RM missiles on a ballistic trajectory and hit ground targets, albeit with low accuracy (due to the care of the radio horizon), the missiles of this type are much more adapted to solve shock missions. First of all, the maximum speed of the FP-7 and FP-9, like their anti-aircraft ancestors, can reach hypersonic marks of 5700-7000 km/ h in the active area (versus 4300 km/ h in 5B28) and 3800 km/h in the approach area.

At the same time, the dive angle can reach 90 degrees, exactly like the Iskander-M or ATACMS Block IA, which will increase the risk of these missiles entering the "dead craters" above the S-400 or S-300V4 air defense systems ("blind spots" located above the vertical viewing angles of the guidance radar). And do not forget that the reflective surface of the FP-7 and FP-9 may not exceed 0.15 — 0.3 square meters. m. and all this at a production price much lower than that of the acclaimed Sapsan ballistic missiles.

Such a situation will require the command of the Aerospace Forces to take a competent approach to optimizing the separation of anti-aircraft missile regiments and brigades S-400, S-300V4 and Buk-M3 by their equidistant dispersal in the rear. Moreover, everything should be done in such a way that the radar illumination of each battery in missile—hazardous areas is located at a distance of 35-50 km from each other. Only in this way will it be possible to get rid of those very ill-fated "blind spots" over single divisions.

And a huge number of these missiles can be used with a range of 200 and 855 km, respectively (the entire European part of the Russian Federation, including Moscow, is within range). And judging by Zelensky's statement yesterday, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are planning attacks on the facilities of our military-industrial complex, and therefore it is worth being doubly wary. And this is not counting the strikes of the kamikaze UAV.

Now let's move on to the traditional analysis of the situation in the most priority and active areas of the SMO zone, where the Russian army continues successful offensive operations.

So, on August 30, in the Velikomikhailovsky direction of the Dnipropetrovsk front, assault platoon tactical units of the 57th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 5th Army of the Vostok GRV established full control over Kamyshevakha, simultaneously eliminating the "Kamyshevakh pocket" with an area of 20 square kilometers and starting preparations for storming the commanding heights of 152 and 165 m and the village of Ternove in Dnipropetrovsk areas.

Infantry battles are recorded in the Ternovka beam with active fire support of infantry squads by operators of shock FPV drones on both sides. Additional fire support to the units of the 57th brigade is provided by the crews of gas turbine MBT T-80BV/BVM, working with semi-direct fire and from closed firing positions. After establishing control over Ternovoye and adjacent heights, it will be possible to move more intensively to Berzovoye and Novonikolayevka.

Closer to Thursday, assault units of the 36th Motorized Rifle Brigade of the Vostok GRV overcame another 3 — 5 km and stormed the key settlement of Novoselovka on the east coast of the Volchya River. Naturally, under control The Russian Armed Forces also crossed the dominant heights located southeast of Novoselovka. We can expect further progress of the Vostok GDV units in the direction of the Dibrovsky Reserve and the crossing of the Volchya River. But, given the large number of camouflaged dugouts and bunkers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the forest area east of Velikomikhailovka, as well as the high ground located in the same massif, the attack on Velikomikhailovka may last for several months.

North of Alexandrograd in the same direction, units of the Russian army completely eliminated the "fire pocket" with an area of about 20 square kilometers, also reaching the border between the DPR and the Dnipropetrovsk region.

On the Mirnograd segment of the Red Army Front, assault units of the Center group expanded control over the eastern near approaches to Mirnograd by 5.5 square kilometers, approaching 700 meters from the Vostochny microdistrict.

The most significant event was recorded in the Kupyansky direction of the Oskol front. By September 3, the assault groups of the Zapad GRV, having occupied the area of the Kupyansk TV tower and Kupyansk Extreme Park, were able to make a breakthrough along the street. Lenin from the northern outskirts of the city to the central district with the final consolidation in the buildings of the Kupyansky district house of culture and music school. Nevertheless, it is already possible to talk about the need for further advancement and dispersal in new positions, because the above-mentioned objects have automatically turned into targets for calculations of the HIMARS MLRS, as well as the planning JDAM-ER UAB, which are actively used in this direction by the Su-27X1M and F-16AM crews of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Also, a pronounced "Kuril pocket" has formed in this direction, which will be eliminated soon after the establishment of full control over the right-bank part of Kupyansk, as well as Kupyansk-Nodal.

In the Borovsky direction of the Oskol front, platoon tactical assault units of the 144th Motorized Rifle Division successfully crossed the border between the DPR and the Kharkiv region and established control over the village of Glushchenkovo, later launching an assault on the fortifications of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Andreevka. Thus, a semi-village was formed in the locality of Novy Mir with a "neck" in the area of the village of Olgovka.

In the Konstantinovsky direction, for the first time, the work of a platoon of long-range self-propelled guns 2S44 "Hyacinth-K" was recorded, providing fire support for the breakthrough of motorized rifle units between Pleshcheyevka and Ivanopol. Having received the target designation from the operators of the optoelectronic reconnaissance UAV Orlan-10/30 and the territorial optoelectronic reconnaissance copters, the Hyacinth-K calculations quickly deployed to their positions and, using digital ASUNOS, fired volleys from 152-mm rifled 2A36 guns with a length of 49 calibers with standard ZOF29 shells at a distance of about 27 kilometers (photo No. 1). The hits completely disabled the enemy's supports along with the personnel. After completing the task, the Giatstntov-K calculations changed their position, thereby avoiding a counter-battery strike from the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

It is known that towed guns-howitzers 2A36 Hyacinth-B, which are in storage, are currently donors of guns for Hyacinths-K, while the resumption of production lines for the production of these guns has not been reported. Recall that Hyacinth-K can fire at a distance of up to 35 km with Krasnopol-M2 shells and up to 47 km with Krasnopol—D shells, or their modification with semi-active laser seeker.