Footage posted online by the Ukrainian Navy and circulated on X appears to show the launch of a Swedish built RBS 15 (Robotsystem 15) series anti-ship cruise missile from a truck mounted launcher targeting Russian installations.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces have not been known publicly to operate this type of cruise missile, making this possible sighting the first appearance of the Swedish long-ranged munition. However, it is still unknown when the RBS 15s were delivered, and who exactly they were delivered from as Finland, Sweden, Germany, Croatia, and Poland all operate the missile in some form, with Finland, Croatia, and Sweden operating truck-based launchers.
The missile launched in the video is suspected to be an RBS 15 variant of some kind due to the double exhaust plume emitted during the missile’s boost phase, a characteristic not known to be present on any other Ukrainian long range cruise missile. Compounding this is the appearance of the truck, with a strikingly similar cab shape and silhouette to that of the RBS 15 launcher based on the Finnish built Sisu truck chassis, although the footage is too low quality to provide assurance.
Ukrainian Strikes on April 6th
Seized by Russian forces in 2014, the target of the strikes appear to be the Sivash oil platform off the Ukrainian coastline in the Black Sea. Subsequently, drilling had ceased upon seizure, with Ukrainian military affiliated sources noting the deployment of Russian Military gear consisting of radars and other intelligence gathering equipment, along with an Anti-tank Guided Missile (ATGM) teams in order to monitor the Ukrainian coastline.
Strikes on the Sivash oil platform was joined by a series of long ranged Ukranian drone strikes on Russian oil infrastructure located at the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk. Located amongst the North-East holdings of Russian on the Black Sea, Novorossiysk also serves as the secondary rally point for the Russian Black Sea Fleet following it’s ousting from the former headquarters at Sevastopol in Crimea. Whilst based there, a Black Sea Fleet Project 11356R (Admiral Grigorovich class) Frigate was also struck whilst attempting to defense the port.
About the RBS 15
Produced by Saab and Diehl Defense, the missile was introduced into Swedish service in the late 1980s. The initial RBS 15 Mk I was designed and employed to augment Swedish Coastal defense efforts and was based on aircraft and ships. The Mk I and the following Mk II share the lowest range, standing at just ~70km, with the Mk II denoted by guidance upgrades, including the addition GPS guidance in addition to improvements to the terminal phase active radar homing seeker. The Mk II version started production in 1998, which lasted until 2004.
Further Upgrades
The variant of the RBS 15 rumored to have been used is the RBS 15 Mk III or Mk IV, both of which introduced several upgrades. Mk III standard missiles have an extended range of 200+km allowed largely through fueling improvements, with an introduced capability to engage land based targets. MK IIIs have been in production since 2004, with the only users being the Polish Navy, German Navy, and the Swedish Navy, which fields the Mk III via truck for coastal defense.
Designated “Gungnir”, the latest iteration of the RBS 15 is the Mk IV, which was previously reported by Naval News as slated to replace Sweden’s remaining Mk IIs. RBS 15 Mk IVs can be fired from ships, trucks, and aircraft as opposed to the only surface based launch platforms for the Mk III. Main upgrades for the Mk IV include a ~50% increase in range to over 300 km, and upgraded anti-jamming GPS guidance.
However, it is worth noting that Mk IIs theoretically could have been employed against the Sivash platform based on the last publicly known location ascertained over 3.5 years ago, with the rig last spotted within the ~70 km range of the Mk IIs.
