SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE

The configuration displayed at MSPO comprised a command post, a target-tracking or fire-control radar, and up to four launchers.

Additional Ukrainian exhibition reporting identifies the principal components as the Perun command vehicle, Athena radar and four Borei launchers. Militarnyi describes the same basic architecture but generally uses functional rather than platform-specific designations.

The system is modular by design. According to the manufacturer, existing external surveillance radars can be integrated into the architecture. Shershen is also intended to receive air-picture data from Ukraine’s automated command-and-control systems Oreanda and Virazh-Planchet.

Integration with the Krechet system is likewise envisaged. Through this architecture, data from additional radars and other air-surveillance sources can be fed into the system.

Shershen is therefore not necessarily tied to an organic sensor. In principle, a launcher group could operate from a broader recognised air picture, provided data formats, identification, target allocation and fire-control functions are technically integrated.

This networked approach distinguishes Shershen from more improvised solutions in which existing air-to-air missiles are simply adapted to ground-based launchers.

INTERCEPTOR OPTIONS

The currently reported missile mix includes several technically distinct interceptor families.

The R-27 exists in variants using semi-active radar and infrared homing. The R-73 uses an infrared seeker. The AIM-9 Sidewinder and AIM-132 ASRAAM are likewise infrared-guided air-to-air missiles.

Integrating different seeker concepts increases flexibility but places greater demands on the fire-control architecture. Radar-guided and infrared-guided missiles require different target-assignment logic, launch parameters and engagement procedures.

The status of the R-60 remains less clear. Militarnyi lists it among the Soviet-origin missiles available to Shershen without major qualification. By contrast, a developer statement quoted directly by Ukrainska Pravda distinguishes between the R-27, R-73, AIM-9 and AIM-132 as missiles the system can already launch, while describing the R-60 as an additional option that could still be tested.

For Source/Claim Lock purposes:

R-27, R-73, AIM-9 and AIM-132: described by the developer as integrated or launch-capable.

R-60: integration or trials are plausible and reported by Militarnyi, but the exact maturity of the integration remains unclear.

R-120 / R-120K

The new Ukrainian missile requires an even stricter distinction between display status and operational capability.

Militarnyi reported that an R-120 mock-up was shown on the launcher. Ukrainska Pravda and other Ukrainian specialist reporting use the designation R-120K. According to those reports, the missile is intended to use a radar seeker and to operate both as an air-to-air weapon and as a ground-launched surface-to-air interceptor.

Development remains ongoing. Available reporting indicates that work on the missile motor has not yet been completed.

The MSPO exhibit therefore does not constitute evidence of an operational Ukrainian production interceptor. What can be established is that a domestic missile family is planned for the Shershen architecture and has already been incorporated into the system concept.

PERFORMANCE DATA

Ukrainian exhibition reporting attributes a maximum engagement range of up to 25 kilometres and an engagement altitude of up to 10,000 metres to Shershen. The Athena radar is said to detect targets at ranges of up to approximately 85 kilometres.

For radar-guided interceptors, the system is also reported to support the guidance of up to six missiles simultaneously.

These figures originate from the developer or exhibition material. They have not been independently verified.

Actual engagement range will depend heavily on the missile used. An air-to-air missile launched from the ground loses much of the energy advantage normally provided by the altitude and speed of a launch aircraft.

Militarnyi cites India’s Samar-2 system as a comparison. When using the infrared-guided R-27ET1 in a ground-launched role, the stated range is up to approximately 20 kilometres. That figure is not a confirmed Shershen performance value, but it indicates the general scale within which such ground-launched air-to-air missiles may operate.

DEVELOPMENT STATUS

The project was first publicly presented in February 2026 at the World Defense Show in Riyadh. At that stage, the display consisted largely of models and conceptual representations.

Kielce marked the first public appearance of real system components. Ukrainian reporting describes the displayed configuration as the second functional prototype, said to be close to a potential production standard.

The developer states that initial test phases, including successful target engagements at a proving ground, have already been completed.

No independent test data, complete firing records or evidence of formal military acceptance have been published. The MSPO display therefore does not establish operational fielding with Ukrainian units.

MILITARY ASSESSMENT

Shershen addresses a central problem for Ukrainian air defence: the consumption of heterogeneous interceptor stocks against a backdrop of limited and difficult-to-predict replenishment.

A system capable of using several missile families would allow existing stocks to be managed more flexibly. Fire-control decisions could be matched more closely to target type, available ammunition and the tactical situation.

The concept follows the logic of Ukraine’s FrankenSAM programmes, but takes the approach further at the architectural level. FrankenSAM projects adapted existing Soviet systems to use selected Western missiles. In Shershen, multi-missile integration is part of the design from the outset.

That makes the system particularly relevant to short-range and lower-tier medium-range air defence. The developer identifies aircraft, cruise missiles and unmanned aerial systems among the intended target set.

Its greatest operational strength may not be maximum engagement range but interceptor interchangeability. In principle, a unit could employ different missile families according to stock availability rather than becoming partially ineffective when supplies of a single interceptor type run low.

The trade-off is greater technical and logistical complexity. Different missiles require adapted launch parameters, testing procedures, maintenance regimes and fire-control software. Nominal multi-calibre compatibility therefore says little about how quickly an operational unit could switch between missile types in field conditions

.

OSINT ASSESSMENT

High confidence: Shershen was presented at MSPO 2026 with real system components. Command-post, radar and launcher elements were displayed. A configuration of up to four launchers is envisaged. The developer identifies the R-27, R-73, AIM-9 and AIM-132 as supported missile options. Integration with external radars and the Oreanda, Virazh-Planchet and Krechet command architecture is also planned.

Medium confidence: The R-60 forms part of the intended weapons portfolio, although sources differ on the maturity of its integration.

Medium to low confidence: Developer-stated performance figures of up to 25 kilometres engagement range, 10 kilometres engagement altitude, 85 kilometres radar detection range and guidance of up to six missiles simultaneously. These are documented manufacturer claims but remain independently unverified.

Low confidence regarding operational maturity: R-120/R-120K. The missile remains under development; a mock-up or developmental article displayed on a launcher does not establish serial production or operational availability.

DECISION RELEVANCE

For Western air-defence planners, Shershen is primarily significant as an integration concept. It treats the interceptor not as an inseparable component of a closed battery architecture, but as an interchangeable resource within a more open command-and-control framework.

For Ukraine, this could increase the military utility of dispersed inventories of Soviet- and Western-origin air-to-air missiles. In particular, against drones and cruise missiles, a cheaper or more readily available interceptor could preserve higher-value systems such as Patriot or SAMP/T for more demanding targets.

Whether Shershen can fulfil that role will depend on serial-production readiness, demonstrated probability of kill, available missile stocks, production tempo and integration into Ukraine’s wider recognised air picture.

The MSPO display confirms an advanced development programme. It does not yet establish an operationally deployed Ukrainian air-defence capability.

RISK / DECISION REGISTER

Priority 1 – Interceptor Flexibility

Trigger: confirmed serial production and formal military fielding.

Assessment: Shershen could reduce dependence on individual interceptor suppliers and make heterogeneous missile inventories operationally usable.

Operational Relevance: High for an air-defence force facing constrained and variable interceptor stocks.

Priority 2 – Open Command Architecture

Trigger: demonstrated integration with Oreanda, Virazh-Planchet, Krechet and external radars under operational conditions.

Assessment: Effective network integration would give Shershen substantially greater military value than an isolated launcher system.

Operational Relevance: High.

Priority 3 – R-120K

Trigger: successful full flight test, completed propulsion development, published production decision or military introduction.

Assessment: A domestic Ukrainian interceptor would increase the system’s industrial independence. The present development status is insufficient for availability planning.

Operational Relevance: Potentially high, limited in the near term.

GLOSSARY

ACS — Automated Command System; an automated command-and-control and information-management system.

AIM-9 Sidewinder — Western infrared-guided air-to-air missile.

AIM-132 ASRAAM — British short-range infrared-guided air-to-air missile.

R-27 — Soviet-origin air-to-air missile family, still used and adapted in Ukraine, with several seeker variants.

R-73 — Soviet-origin short-range infrared-guided air-to-air missile.

SAM — Surface-to-Air Missile; either the interceptor itself or, depending on context, the ground-based air-defence system employing it.

SHORAD — Short-Range Air Defence.

REFERENCES

Militarnyi
Ukraine Presents Components of Shershen Air Defense System
9 September 2026
Confirms Shershen Group, system architecture, R-60/R-73/R-27/AIM-9/AIM-132 compatibility, the R-120 mock-up and planned integration with Oreanda, Virazh-Planchet and Krechet.
Linktext: militarnyi．com/en/news/ukraine-presents-components-of-shershen-air-defense-system/

Militarnyi
Shershen SAM System: Ukraine Develops Multi-Caliber Air Defense Project
12 February 2026
Documents the project’s first public presentation at the World Defense Show and its Ukrainian industrial background.
Linktext: militarnyi．com/en/news/shershen-sam-ukraine-air-defense-project/

Militarnyi

NAUDI Show Video of Components of Shershen Air Defense System
13 February 2026
Documents earlier developer statements on completed components and testing with several missile types.
Linktext: militarnyi．com/en/news/naudi-show-video-of-components-of-shershen-air-defense-system/

Ukrainska Pravda
Ukrainian company presents Shershen air-defence system and R-120K surface-to-air missile at exhibition in Poland
9 September 2026
Identifies Perun, Athena and Borei; reports claimed performance figures, the R-120K development status and a more cautious assessment of R-60 integration.
Linktext: www．pravda．com．ua/eng/news/2026/09/09/8052621/

The War Zone
Ukraine’s New Shershen SAM Can Fire A Wild Mix Of Adapted Air-To-Air Missiles
10 September 2026
Provides technical context on the multi-calibre concept, open-system architecture and the development status of the second prototype.
Linktext: www．twz．com/land/ukraines-new-shershen-sam-can-fire-a-wild-mix-of-adapted-air-to-air-missiles

MSPO / Targi Kielce Context
MSPO 2026 took place in Kielce from 8 to 11 September 2026.
Linktext: www．mbda-systems．com/mspo-2026