Foreign tech fuels Russian missile system despite sanctions
The report published by the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine indicates that the Russian Tornado-S missile systems use several foreign components. These components originate from various countries, including those that have officially joined the sanctions against Moscow. Notably, the USA is on the list.
The Defense Express portal, which specializes in military topics, explains that the Russians presumably use a dual gyroscope in these missiles to improve attack accuracy. While one is produced by the Russian company Optolink, the analysis of the second gyroscope led to conclusions that it is a mysterious foreign device with seals in Chinese.
Tornado-S rockets contain foreign components
Moreover, this mysterious device is part of a module utilizing a microcontroller from the Swiss company STMicroelectronics. The Russian module, on the other hand, contains components from the United States (Analog Devices, National Semiconductor, Maxim Integrated), China (Panwoo Equipment Consulting, Mornsun), and the United Kingdom (Golledge Electronics).
Defense Express emphasizes that such a discovery "highlights the weaknesses of the supply chain, which is not adequately protected by sanctions and allows the Russians to integrate foreign technologies with their precision-guided munitions."
Another example of failing sanctions
This is not the first instance but rather another similar example. Recently, foreign components were discovered in the latest modifications of Shahed-136 drones. At the end of last year, investigations proved that Russians, despite sanctions, are flying Su‑30SM and do not have problems acquiring components for electronic warfare systems.
The Tornado-S system is one of the newer weapons in the Russian arsenal and is considered equivalent to the American HIMARS. It is a modified BM-30 Smerch rocket system adapted to launch 300-mm calibre missiles (approximately 26 feet long) over distances of up to 200 km (about 124 miles) with an accuracy of a few metres.
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