Ukraine will get new missiles from the United States this January, says Myroslava Honhadze, Chief editor at Voice of America's Eastern European office. The name is not specified but specifications are: 300 km range, with a 100-kg warhead.
Apart from that, there are plans to "re-equip" the Buk self-propelled surface-to-air missile system with the help of Americans, the journalist says on her X profile, referring to senior officials in the General Staff of the Ukrainian army.
There is no official confirmation from the Ukrainian authorities as of writing this article. On that note, here are some ideas of what kind of missile is in question and which way the Buk system could be adjusted.
First of all, it is not a typical combination of specs — 300 km of attack range and 100 kg of warhead — because a weapon of this much range usually carries a much more powerful charge. For comparison, the M57 ATACMS features the same 300 km range yet delivers the WDU-18/B warhead with HE-FRAG action, the same warhead is used with Harpoon ASCM or Tomahawk LACM.
A warhead with 100 kg of explosive appears, for example, in the Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB for short) which was also announced for transfer to Ukraine. Even the approximate timeframe of delivery is close to the one mentioned in the journalist's statement. However, the maximum range of GLSDB is 150 km.
On the other hand, the declared specs sound more like an air-launched missile. For example, the AGM-88G AARGM-ER has a range of 300 km and a 70-kg WAU-7/B warhead. This weapon is a radical modernization of the AGM-88 HARM anti-radiation missile. The upgraded version received an additional capability: it can be used not only against radars but moving sea targets, too. Live firing tests proved this ability.
That said, the AARGM-ER must be still in its testing stage of development which began in 2021. It wasn't a problem, though, to approve the missile for export, as follows from the Defense Security Cooperation Agency report allowing the sale of it to Finland a few days ago.
Side note, there is also a concept of launching the AARGM-ER from the ground, too, but there is no data as to how far it can reach when deployed this way.
Still, a possibility of a completely different new missile should not be ruled out, especially since the United States have kicked off new development projects specially for the needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Such as the exclusively designed Phoenix Ghost or the Switchblade 600, an enhanced and more powerful version of Switchblade 300 based on experience of combat application in Ukraine. All of the mentioned are loitering munitions, so-called "suicide drones."
Finally, the "re-equipment" of Buk air defense system most likely means an adaptation necessary for it to be capable of firing AIM-7 interceptors, in other words, the FrankenSAM project. Apparently, 2024 will mark the start of the practical part of the USA–Ukrainian joint development and deliveries of first batches of adapted systems.
