NATO specialists modify Ukrainian Buk and Osa-AKM air defense missile systems.

MOSCOW, October 20. /TASS-DEFENSE/. Buk (NATO reporting name: SA-17 Grizzly) and Osa-AKM (SA-8 Gecko) air defense missile systems modified by NATO specialists pose the greatest threat to Russian frontline aircraft involved in the special military operation in Ukraine, a source in law enforcement agencies told TASS: “Buk and Osa-AKM air defense missile systems modified by European and NATO specialists are the most dangerous for frontline aircraft,” the source said.
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Russian 9K33M3 Osa-AKM SA-8B mobile air defense missile system. (Picture source: Vitaly Kuzmin)

As the specialist explained, such systems carry out target acquisition not with the help of a radar, but with the help of optics. The radar of the air defense system illuminates the target, then aircraft and helicopters equipped with illumination warning stations can perform anti-missile maneuvers and detect complexes firing at them, the source said. At the same time, optical target detection systems are passive systems, they do not reveal air defense systems and increase the chances of hitting air targets. TASS has no official information on this matter.

Buk, Osa-AKM systems

The Buk is a family of self-propelled air defense missile systems designed to fight maneuvering aerodynamic targets at low and medium altitudes amid electronic countermeasures. The Buk was one of the first systems able to intercept cruise missiles and US-made Lance tactical ballistic missiles, Harm anti-radar missiles and other airborne and ground-based precision weapons. The early versions of the Buk system were capable of locking on and attacking more than 10 targets at once with a kill probability of 30-70%, depending on their type.

There are four main modifications of this air defense system, i.e. the Buk-M1 decommissioned by the Russian Armed Forces presumably in 2011, the Buk-M1-2, the Buk-M2 and the latest Buk-M3.

According to open sources, the earliest versions of the Buk air defense system, namely the Buk-M1 and the Buk-M1-2, continue to be in service in a number of countries, including Syria, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Egypt, Kazakhstan and Ukraine. Finland is also among the former owners of this air defense system.

The Osa-AKM is an upgraded version of the Soviet air defense system that went into service in 1971. Its production ceased in 1989, although these air defense systems are still operational in some countries, including Belarus, Poland and Ukraine.

The Osa-AKM is armed with six 9M33M3 missiles capable of striking adversary aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles, remotely-piloted aerial vehicles and other air-launched weapons flying at an altitude of 10-5,000 m, at a range of 1.5-10.3 km (0.9-6.4 mi) and at a speed of up to 500 m/s.

Russian army Buk-M3 mobile air defense missile system in Ukraine. (Picture source: screen shot from a video published on Telegram)

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Defense News October 2022