Ukraine may receive Sea Sparrow radar-guided missiles from the US. The Sea Sparrow was developed in the early 1960s from the AIM-7 Sparrow air-to-air missile..

These missiles were adopted by the United States in 1976, and improved versions of these missiles are used by the US Navy and Marine Corps and other countries.. The only country using the ground version of these missiles is Taiwan..

Sea Sparrow - short-range ship-based anti-aircraft missile with a semi-active radar homing head. This type of missile can be launched from the sea or land to intercept aircraft or cruise missiles.. The latest version of Sea Sparrow missiles - RIM-7P. It has an extended range and autopilot.. With the help of the latest Sea Sparrow communicates with the on-board computer via a data link.

The main characteristics of the Sea Sparrow missile characteristics:.

warhead - high-explosive fragmentation WDU-27 / B;

maximum firing range - 20-30 kilometers;

maximum height of defeat - from 6 m to 15 km;

speed - more than Mach 3.5;

length - 3.64 meters;

weight - about 230 kg.

The Ukrainian military has already converted its Buk launchers to use the Sea Sparrow.

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Next U.S. military aid package may provide Ukraine with Sea Sparrow radar-guided missiles for the first time.