Robot 17 is a coastal defense missile system developed by Sweden, based on the famous AGM-114 Hellfire missile from the United States and produced in the 1980s by Bofors Defense (now Saab Bofors Dynamics).
Robot 17 is a coastal defense missile system.
While the Hellfire is designed to disable armored vehicles from attack helicopters like the AH-64 Apache, the Robot 17 can be carried by infantry and launched from the coast to target warships.
Robot 17 is ideal against amphibious invasions.
The Swedish Ministry of Defense has stated that the transfer of Robot 17 aims to meet the specific requirements of the Ukrainian government in response to the increasing Russian presence in the southeastern coastal region. The Robot 17 is particularly effective against amphibious invasions, as it can be quickly set up and fired by infantry. In addition to targeting warships, the Robot 17 also has a secondary capability to attack land targets.
The Robot 17 carries a 9 kg warhead, is laser-guided, and has a range of approximately 8 km. This system is part of the Swedish Amphibious Corps (AMF), and it is transported by high-speed boats from the mainland to various islands. AMF soldiers will quickly deploy the Robot 17 at strategic positions. By creating a difficult-to-predict threat, the Robot 17 will complicate the enemy’s ability to bring ships into the archipelagos or ports of Sweden.
For Ukraine, the Robot 17 is not the first anti-ship missile system to be transferred. Previously, the United Kingdom provided the Brimstone guided missile, while the United States is reportedly transferring either the RGM-84 Harpoon or the Naval Strike Missile (NSM) to Ukraine.
Robot 17 has limited impact due to its short range.
Experts believe that the Robot 17 will not have a significant impact due to its limited range. However, when combined with other anti-ship missiles that Ukraine possesses, the Robot 17 is expected to enhance the defensive layers of Odesa against the Russian Black Sea Fleet. Previously, Ukraine reportedly used the Neptune missile to sink the Moskva flagship. Both the Neptune and Harpoon, with a range of 75 nautical miles, will be able to strike Russian units from a distance.
Meanwhile, the British Brimstone can halt enemy advances at medium range, while the Robot 17 operates at short range. It can be said that the Robot 17 will fill the combat gap at close range since both the Harpoon and Neptune cannot engage ships at such close distances due to their minimum range limitations. Additionally, the Robot 17 can be effectively used against surface targets during an amphibious assault.
