Ukrainians Blast Russian ‘Wasp’ Anti-Aircraft System With HIMARS

Using an American-made HIMARS rocket launcher, the Ukrainian military destroyed a Russian Osa (wasp) anti-aircraft missile complex in southern Ukraine, according to a report from the Ukrainian Special Operations Forces (SSO).

While conducting reconnaissance in the southern sector, a crew of the unmanned aircraft complex of the 73rd Maritime Center of the SSO, despite poor visibility, discovered a Russian anti-aircraft missile system that the Russians had used against Ukrainian troops.

The SSO aerial reconnaissance operators sent its coordinates to HIMARS operators.

The footage, released via Telegram, shows that the Russian anti-aircraft missile complex was completely destroyed as a result of the fire damage.

Kyiv Post analysts confirmed the video showed the destruction of an Osa.

The Osa is a Soviet automated all-weather military anti-aircraft missile system of the tactical link. Its main purpose is to provide cover for the forces and equipment of a motorized rifle (tank) division in all types of combat operations.

The development of this air defense system began in 1960, with the task of creating the first self-sufficient mobile air defense system in the Soviet Union.

The complex was put into service in 1971, with modernization continuing. In 1977, the Osa-AKM air defense system appeared with six improved 9M33M3 missiles, serially produced until 1989, becoming the largest anti-aircraft missile system in the USSR.

The Osa-AKM air defense system is equipped with six 9М33М3 anti-aircraft guided missiles, each weighing 128 kg, with a 15-kg warhead. The range of hitting an air target is 1.5-10 km, at an altitude of 10 to 5000 meters. The probability of hitting a fighter-type target with one missile is 50 to 85 percent.

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According to information from open sources, the cost of one missile for the Osa air defense system is $56,000, while one missile for the modern German IRIS-T anti-aircraft system costs $400,000. Estimates of the cost of the anti-aircraft missile complex vary significantly, with figures in open sources ranging from $1 million to $10 million.

Earlier in January, the Ukrainian military destroyed a Solntsepyok (Blazing Sun) – a Russian heavy flamethrower – in southern Ukraine, which a team of drone operators had discovered hidden in a forested area. Reports suggest that the system costs in the range of $6.5 million to $15 million.

In July 2022, the Russian Ministry of Defense stated that Ukrainian troops were hunting the system due to its effectiveness. A representative of the department stated that Solntsepyok uses thermobaric rockets. After its strikes, a fireball with a temperature of about 3,000 degrees Celsius is generated, making hiding in dugouts impossible, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense.

The Russians also asserted that there are no analogs to this heavy flamethrower system in the world.