Ukraine's surprise find: Swiss components in Russian equipment

Militarnyi, a Ukrainian portal, reported that anonymous specialists from the Ukrainian Defense Forces found Swiss electronics in the wreckage of Russian anti-aircraft missile systems. They were found in the warhead of a missile for the portable anti-aircraft system Verba.

According to the Militarnyi report, Swiss components were discovered in the warhead of the portable anti-aircraft missile system Verba which was seized by the Ukrainian Defense Forces. Despite Switzerland's neutral stance towards the Ukraine conflict and policy of blocking arms shipments containing Swiss components to any involved countries, these components were still found in Russian weapons. The way the Swiss components got into Russia's hands remains shrouded in mystery, showing that Russia remains unconcerned about the international politics of the West.

The optical tri-band homing warhead of the 9M336 missile, designed for use with the portable Verba anti-aircraft system, was found to contain a power converter produced by Traco Power. Traco, a family business based in Baar, Switzerland, together with its subsidiaries, markets power supplies and converters worldwide through approximately 60 trading partners. It is believed that one of them may have acted as a supplier or a middleman in sending Traco's components to Russia.

Upon inspection of the markings, specialists determined that various parts of the missile had different production dates. Despite the overall assembly of the missile in 2020, its motherboard originated from 2014. Interestingly, a solid fuel engine manufactured in 1976 was also found in the 9M336 missile, possibly repurposed from older Igla portable anti-aircraft sets. This discovery is intriguing because the Russians had previously claimed that the 9M336 was equipped with a new rocket engine.

The Verba was deployed in the Russian army in 2014. Equipped with an automated control system, this complex can identify and locate its targets automatically when paired with a 1L122 radar.

The 9M336 warheads utilize spent nuclear fuel as an additional impact element, characterized by high explosiveness. This significantly enhances the effectiveness of these anti-aircraft missiles.