Sweden has announced a decision to provide Ukraine with a fourth military aid package worth € 95 million. It includes anti-tank weapons, 12.7-mm sniper rifles and, most interestingly, unnamed anti-ship missiles.
This was announced on Twitter by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sweden Ann Linde.
Sweden will send anti-ship missiles, anti-tank weapons and 12.7 mm rifles including ammunition to 🇺🇦. This 4th support package also includes financial contribution to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Total amount includes more than 95 million euros. Russia’s war against 🇺🇦 must stop!
Sweden will send anti-ship missiles, anti-tank weapons and 12.7 mm rifles including ammunition to 🇺🇦. This 4th support package also includes financial contribution to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Total amount includes more than 95 million euros. Russia’s war against 🇺🇦 must stop!
— Ann Linde (@AnnLinde) June 2, 2022Of course, we are very grateful to Sweden for its help, but everyone is wondering what kind of missiles we are talking about. Unfortunately, Saab Bofors Dynamics' long-range RBS 15, which can hit 300 km of ships and carry a 200 kg warhead, can be ruled out immediately. The cost of such launchers and missiles is millions of euros, and the €95 million aid package would have left no room for anything else. So we are talking about short-range systems, namely the RBS-17 Hellfire, which is in service with the Swedish Navy.
RBS 17 is a Swedish modification of the famous anti-tank missile AGM-114 Hellfire. AGM-114 is used primarily from helicopters or UAVs, for example, MQ-1C Gray Eagle, which Ukraine will receive from the United States with these missiles. But RBS 17 is used as anti-ship missile and can be launched both from ships and from land, with fairly compact launchers that can be transported or mounted on mobile platforms, including "Banderomobiles".
As you know, the RBS 17 / AGM-114 Hellfire with a 9 kg warhead and a range of 9,000 m is not the missile which can sink Moskva cruiser, for big ships zou will need something like RBS 15, Harpoon, Naval Strike Missile or Р-360 Neptun. RBS 17 is more of an addition to Brimstone and glide bombs Bayraktar TB2, weapons to hunt Russian speedboats and landing craft, cover coasts and ferries, and use as anti-tank missiles if necessary.
But, as we have repeatedly written, the Armed Forces will need them too, there are many ruscists, and many missiles are needed to destroy them. So, thank you very much, Sweden!
Specifications
Type – anti-ship version of AGM-114 Hellfire missile
Manufacturer – Sweden
Length – 163 sm
Diameter – 17.8 cm
Weight – 48 kg
Warhead – 9 kg tandem-cumulative
Range – 9 000 m
Speed – 1.3 Mach, or 1 601 km/h
Guidance – laser
