Ukraine’s air defense forces have introduced the Italian-Swiss Skyguard system into combat duty. The missile used has a design from the Cold War era, derived from the American Sparrow model, allowing for savings on more expensive interceptors.
Skyguard/Aspide, a variant related to the Italian Spada system, is a short-range air defense system designed to protect military targets and critical infrastructure against aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles, and drones.
It combines a Swiss fire control unit with Italian Aspide missiles – derived from the American AIM-7 Sparrow model, a radar-guided weapon developed by the US Navy since the late 1940s to shoot down jet bombers during the Cold War.
The system can hit targets at distances of up to 12–25 km and at altitudes ranging from 15 m to 6,000 meters, as reported by Euromaidan.
Recently, Regiment 38 presented a video recording showing teams loading missiles onto the Skyguard launcher, as well as the system on standby, reported the publication Militarnîi.
Where Skyguard Was Sourced
The system was delivered through two European channels:
- Spain delivered the first batch in November 2022, as confirmed by the Defense Minister at the time, Oleksii Reznikov. A month prior, 19 Ukrainian military personnel had trained in using the system at the Spanish base in Zaragoza. Madrid also requested Switzerland's permission for re-export, as the Swiss company Oerlikon Contraves — now Rheinmetall Air Defence — produced the Skyguard fire control unit associated with the missiles, reported Textî.
- Italy pledged additional Skyguard units in February 2023. The Italian launchers differ from the Spanish ones; they are equipped with target illumination radar and a video tracking unit mounted directly on the launcher.
Why Skyguard Is Important
The system is valuable as Ukraine enters the 2026-2027 winter season with an increasing shortage of interceptors, while Russia seeks to intensify strikes on energy infrastructure.
Patriot missile deliveries decreased from 675 in 2023 to 364 last year, with a forecast of 264 for 2026, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky. F-16 pilots were forced to carry out missions using only the onboard gun when they ran out of missiles.
Each additional short-range action system, capable of countering drones and cruise missiles, allows the preservation of precious high-performance interceptors for the threats posed by ballistic missiles constantly launched by Russia.
Ukraine has urgently requested allies to send 300 Patriot interceptor missiles from existing stocks before Russia escalates attacks on cities and energy infrastructure this winter.
The list presented at the beginning of September also includes 500 air-to-air missiles capable of intercepting cruise missiles, portable anti-aircraft defense systems, and $2 billion for drones.
T.D.