 Ukraine adapts Soviet air defense systems to fire U.S. missiles. Ukraine has successfully converted Soviet air defense systems to fire missiles produced by the United States Air Force spokesperson Yuri Inats said in an interview with Radio N.V. We have good results of the combat use of Buk-M1 anti-aircraft missile systems on the training ground in the United States, which have been converted and adapted to American missiles. Inats said, Ukraine inherited Buk-M1 anti-aircraft systems from the Soviet Union, but the weapons typically use missiles that only Russia produces. It is therefore necessary to look for ways to convert and modernize such systems to strengthen Ukraine's air defense capabilities, the spokesperson said. The main systems used by Ukrainian air defense are the Buk-M1 systems as well as the S-300 and S-125 systems. Inats emphasized that Ukraine must eventually replace all Soviet air defense systems with modern versions. Reports emerged in January 2023 that the Ukrainian military had found a way to modify its Buk launchers to fire sea sparrow missiles. Sea sparrows can be launched from the sea or ground to intercept aircraft or cruise missiles. The U.S. and most allies use the ship-mounted version, but the reports indicated that Ukraine is expected to use the ground launched version, currently only operated this way by Taiwan. The Ukrainian defense industry is also working in cooperation with Western companies such as German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall to produce equipment for the military.