A Missile Strike On Moscow

What's cooler - Tomahawk or Ukrainian Sapsan?

Memes have repeatedly appeared in social networks on the subject of the missile attack on the capital of the Russian occupiers. An American Tomahawk with a range of 1,500 kilometers could reach not only Moscow. However, the United States has no plans to provide Ukraine with this long-range weapon. But at the end of last year information about serial production of Ukrainian ballistic missile "Sapsan" appeared. How are they similar and how do they differ?

The most powerful "axe"

The North American Indians called tomahawk a battle axe, and the word was translated as "chop". Since the 1970s and 1980s, a cruise missile with a 450-kilogram warhead and a cost of several million (figures range from two to five million dollars) has been more commonly associated with the word. Tomahawk has become one of the most famous (if not the most famous) in the arsenal of the US Navy. It has distinguished itself in many military operations - Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Libya.

The missile is designed to hit land and sea targets, operates at long range, is valued for its high accuracy. It flies very low, uses a terrain scanning system, the trajectory can be adjusted after launch. Unlike the same ATACMS, which is difficult to maneuver in flight. Tomahawk is successful in striking military facilities, air defense systems, command posts, etc. All this is necessary to reduce enemy capabilities.

Ukrainian missile was named Peregrine Falcon, probably after the bird of prey, which is considered the fastest during the attack on prey, because it develops a speed of more than 300 kilometers. The state program, which is engaged in its development ... fifteen years. Yes, it started long before the full-scale invasion. The story of Sapsan's creation in general resembles a multi-part movie. It includes active design work in the early 90s, insufficient funding and the actual pause of the project - finally resuming work after the start of the invasion.

For obvious reasons, there is almost no open information about the characteristics of the Ukrainian development. Conclusions about its range, power and performance can be drawn from the comments of military experts, specialized analysts and statements of officials. The probable range of the Sapsan is 500 kilometers, the amount of explosives is almost 500 kilograms, supersonic speed (the media wrote about the ability to fly more than five times faster than sound). It is difficult to intercept such a missile, and to shoot down with far from 100 percent results is possible only with the help of specialized missile defense systems, which the enemy has not unlimited number.

Reach the enemy

The range of Tomahawk ranges from 1500 to 2500 kilometers. That is, the "axe" can very even fly to Moscow and St. Petersburg, visualizing the dream of millions of Ukrainians. "Reach" to factories scattered across the territory of an enemy state - the same Izhevsk with its Kalashnikov factory, or Tatarstan's Alabuga, where checkers are produced. Interesting data was published by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). They concluded that Tomahawks can reach almost two thousand Russian military facilities. This is at a range of 2,500 kilometers. At a shorter range of, say, 1,600 kilometers - to more than 1,500 objects.

And what are the capabilities of the Sapsan? When Ukraine's president announced positive tests of a ballistic missile, military experts recalled several famous cases. In their opinion, it was during these operations that the domestic development was used. For example, a strike on the airbase in Saki on the territory of Crimea, the destruction of a Russian command post at a distance of 300 kilometers, etc.

Which is cooler

When it comes to the powerful capabilities of Tomahawk and Sapsan, we need to take into account the political aspect. If we go deeper into the story, the Ukrainian missile still has more advantages. Why?

The first advantage is quantity. Experts say that the result can be tangible only if Ukraine has at least several hundred missiles. Units are unlikely to change the weather. At the same time, the U.S. does not have an unlimited number of them. The data vary greatly - from four to nine thousand. The American company Ratheon, which produces "axes", plans to reach the production targets of 600 units per year by 2030. And this is subject to timely financing and access to the component base. The Financial Times piece talked about providing Ukraine (when it was still being talked about) with twenty to fifty missiles that "will not decisively change the dynamics of the war." But the Sapsan is or could be mass-produced. Here the situation depends on investment, the capacity of enterprises and government policy. As well as the work of our services to find and procure the appropriate components.

The second is special installations. Tomahawk was designed to be launched primarily from warships. With cruisers and submarines we have, let's say, difficulties. However, at the recent AUSA exhibition presented X-MAV - a vehicle that was developed to transport heavy weapons over long distances. Developers and experts predict that the X-MAV could be used for Tomahawk. There is also data about an unmanned ground platform for launching missiles of this type.

Ukrainian Sapsan is launched from a ground mobile launcher. Technical specifications, details - all of this is classified, but one would hope that the number of launchers will be sufficient.

Third is the limitation of use. Even at the stage of possible provision of Tomahawks, the U.S. leadership said that Ukraine should clearly explain exactly for what purposes such weapons are required. Therefore, the traditional full control and constant coordination. During the time it takes to agree on a list of targets, priorities can change. However, with Sapsan the situation is quite different. We don't need to ask, coax, apologize and convince when we use our own product in the fight against the enemy. And this is hardly the most important "coolness" of Sapsan.

I have repeatedly written that the state and manufacturers should prioritize localization. In all possible directions - from clothing and body armor to a variety of long-range weapons. The history with the creation of Sapsans and Neptunes proves that the domestic defense industry can pleasantly surprise both itself and its partners. Let there be more such examples.

Maksim Plekhov, nv.ua

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