Ukraine will receive reconnaissance aircraft with early detection radars for the first time since the beginning of a full-scale war. They will be provided by Sweden as part of a record military aid package. Find out what these aircraft are capable of and what mission they will fulfil in the Ukrainian sky

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The Swedish government has announced a record-breaking military aid package for Ukraine worth $1.3 billion. It will include various weapons and aircraft, namely aircraft with the ASC-890 Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) system. Here's how they will help Ukraine.

As part of the aid package, Ukraine will receive two aircraft equipped with advanced radar systems capable of detecting and tracking objects over a large area, including fighters, helicopters, cruise missiles and naval targets.

As Sweden has already stated, these boards are intended to complement and enhance the work of the F-16 fighters that the allies are to provide to Ukraine in the near future. Simply put, the ASC-890s are to become the eyes of the US fighter jets.

What can ASC-890s do?

These aircraft can identify cruise missiles, drones, and targets both on land and at sea. Journalists have already compared the Swedish planes to russian A-50 long-range radar detection and control aircraft, which the occupiers use to strike Ukraine. It is worth recalling that the Ukrainian army has already destroyed two such russian aircraft.

The Swedish ACS-890 aircraft are also early warning aircraft. However, the radar for this system was developed in the early 1990s and has been regularly updated since then, meaning that it is a modern system.

As for the appearance of these aircraft, they are very different from the russian ones. Firstly, they use a small Saab 340 turboprop aircraft. The russian A50 is based on the Il-76 heavy transport aircraft.

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The ACS-890 can barrage for five hours. This is more than the russian aircraft, but less than the American one.

Another difference is that instead of a phased array antenna in the airfoil, the Swedish aircraft's Erieye radar is located inside a rectangular housing rigidly fixed above the fuselage.

In addition, these aircraft are known for providing high-quality information and range.

The Erieye radar can detect air targets at a distance of up to 450 km. This is a rather arbitrary figure, as the detection range depends on the characteristics of the object.

Another advantage of the Swedish aircraft is the potential to integrate it into the Link 16 information exchange system, which is used by many Western air and ground systems.

F-16s, which Ukraine is likely to receive by the end of 2024, can also connect to such a system and receive information from radar, which will significantly improve their combat capabilities.

We remind you! We wrote that Western countries are becoming increasingly decisive about the activities of their military directly on the territory of Ukraine. Some NATO members are calling for the western part of Ukraine to be shielded from russian missiles. Read here to find out what discussions are taking place within the Alliance and who is ready to take a significant step forward in helping Ukraine.

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