Back in 2006, the government remembered that everything needed to create missiles was located on the territory of Dnepropetrovsk. As you know, during the collapse of the USSR, Ukraine abandoned its nuclear potential. But in connection with the unfolding events, at the moment there are more and more rumors that the country is once again ready to develop missiles and other land-based weapons. Thus, it is worth paying attention to the actions of the state in recent years in order to determine what kind of modern Ukrainian missile weapons can be produced on the territory of this country.
History of the resumption of the creation of rockets
In 2009, the country's budget appeared a column on the allocation of funds for the creation of a combat missile, which will be called the Sapsan. The case cost just under $7 million. The project is the creation of a multifunctional operational-tactical complex to increase the country's ability to fend for itself. Main partfunds were sent to the Yuzhnoye design bureau, which is located in Dnepropetrovsk. In the same year, the bureau was able to defend the preliminary design and report to the government about the benefits of its development.
At that time, the Ministry of Defense fully supported the project and considered it necessary to create it. Another reason for resuming the production of missiles was the fact that by 2015-2016, that is, by now, the weapons that were in Ukraine will become unusable and will be subject to decommissioning. Therefore, when Viktor Yanukovych took office, he supported in 2011 the continuation of the production of the Sapsan complex. And in 2012, the project was suspended due to funding. But despite such interruptions in funding, the design bureau continues to create weapons of Ukraine, the types of which are very diverse.
Peregrine Falcon now
The Bureau Director tried to keep the development going, but he didn't succeed. First, the project lost its priority of importance, and then it was completely brought to naught. At the moment, the only prospect that awaits Ukraine regarding this complex is 2018. That is how much time the bureau needs to fully complete the project and provide the missile system for testing. At first it was assumed that the range of the missiles would be 280 kilometers with an accuracy of a couple of meters, but now Yuzhnoye is proposing to increase the range to 500 kilometers.
Scud missile
Back in 2010, it was announced that Scud liquid-fuel missiles were completely destroyedas a missile weapon of Ukraine. They were created during the Second World War. By the way, this model is considered one of the most common around the world. Recently it turned out that there are still some copies of these weapons on the territory of the country, and they are actively used in the anti-terrorist operation in the struggle between the east of Ukraine and the armed forces of the country.
It is worth noting that despite the range of this weapon (the radius of destruction is up to 300 kilometers), it is very inaccurate, hitting the target can deviate to a rather indefinite distance of up to 500 meters. At the same time, the unit weighs almost a ton.
Tochka missile
Ukraine still claims not to use these missiles. For the missile system to work, you need to know in advance the location of the enemy. Four warheads are produced with precisely specified coordinates. The blow is applied depending on the set coordinates and the range at which the shooting is carried out.
The error can be from 10 to 200 meters. In this case, one warhead strikes from 2 to about 6 hectares. The rocket's flight speed exceeds 1000 meters per second. This weapon can play a decisive role in any fight. But officially, Ukrainians refuse to use this type of weapon. It remains to be seen whether this warhead constitutes Ukraine's missile weapon.
Grom-2 missile
Even in the early nineties, the Dnepropetrovsk Design Bureau presentedthe idea of producing the operational-tactical missile "Grom-2". The range of its flight should be 500 meters. The original name of this project is Borisfen. At that time, through this missile system, a new protective shield of Ukraine was to be created to replace obsolete weapons. At that time, there were more than 200 Scud and Tochka-U missile launchers in the country. But taking into account the social and economic state of the country, the creation of missiles was an irrelevant issue. In addition, the army was then constantly reduced. Then the Yuzhnoye state bureau began to send sketches of their inventions to foreign exhibitions, where these missiles were named Grom.
Military weapons and equipment of Ukrainian production often attract attention at such international exhibitions. These developments involved the creation of a new generation of precision-guided weapons that would be capable of providing the country with a shield capable of withstanding a non-nuclear attack. The missile system was intended to destroy stationary group and single targets. The range of the missiles would be from 80 to 500 kilometers. In this case, the rockets would be quite light, less than half a ton. It was planned to create an onboard inertial type system equipped with navigation and guidance. The launcher would have an automatic character, and the basis for it would be a chassis with a complete set of automatic preparation for the launch of warheads.
Korshun-2 missile
One of the prioritiesDnepropetrovsk Design Bureau is developing a rocket-reactive weapon system "Korshun-2". This is a multifunctional missile system, the main task of which is to provide the country's shield capable of withstanding a non-nuclear attack. The project will use cruise missiles capable of hitting ground targets. In theory, he could fully represent Ukraine's missile weapons. The payload of the missiles does not exceed half a ton, and the range of the warhead is 300 kilometers. The estimated mass of the combat equipment of the complex will be 480 kilograms. The new cruise missile will reach a flight altitude of 50 kilometers with the ability to go around the terrain, taking into account its relief.
"Ukraine". Missile cruiser
The country also has a missile cruiser, but, unfortunately, its use is impossible. Therefore, the head of the naval forces decided to sell it. With the proceeds, the country will be able to replenish its resources to protect water areas. The main problem of the missile cruiser is that almost 80 percent of the vessel operates with Russian equipment. This missile cruiser could well represent Ukraine's high-precision weapons. At the moment, such products are not produced on the territory of Ukraine, so the ship is, as they say, idle, and cannot serve the good of the motherland.
Unfortunately, the cost of a cruiser on the market is much lower than the country spent on its creation and maintenance, but now it is more profitable for the state to sell it than to continuecontain and maintain state. It could represent a new weapon of war for Ukraine, because the ship is equipped with an anti-aircraft missile system with a medium range, there are installations for anti-ship missiles, and 3 batteries of thirty-millimeter six-barreled guns are also installed. The cruiser is equipped with a torpedo tube, an artillery system, and this is not all that is installed on it.
Small arms
It is known that Ukraine will start using modern small arms of the world only from 2016. Today, every Ukrainian soldier is equipped with a type of Kalashnikov assault rifle, one of the models of TT, PM or PS pistols, as well as a wide variety of hand grenades. In some cases, there are light machine guns and grenade launchers. Sniper rifles are issued for fighters of some units.
There are models of Ukrainian-made weapons and units purchased abroad. Almost all of these weapons are left over from Soviet times. But the command is not going to stop at obsolete models, non-standard models are already being encountered, representing the new small arms of Ukraine. They are created both within the state and abroad. Mostly among the new weapons there are sniper rifles, pistols and other units for single weapons.
Nuclear weapons of Ukraine
According to experts, Ukraine lacks only money to create an atomic bomb. After all, everything else is present in the statein vast quantities. Resources are mined in local mines, and scientists have remained and are ready to resume their labor activity. In addition, there are carriers in Ukraine capable of delivering a ready-made bomb to enemy territory. In addition, there is also the equipment necessary to create a warhead. As we can see, Ukrainian nuclear weapons still exist, at least according to experts and analysts.
Everyone understands perfectly well that the country has no money for this, but the option of using old reserves is quite possible. During the disarmament of the country, part of the stocks of weapons disappeared. For example, one nuclear warhead and two strategic bombers are missing. At the end of the nineties, the elimination of all nuclear missiles in the territory was officially announced, but over time, more than thirty combat units were found in the warehouses. Therefore, according to foreign experts, if the weapon is found, it will be enough to deliver warning strikes and more.
