Ukrainian officials said a modular component of American origin was found in the remains of the Kh-101 missile yesterday.
Vicor DC-DC power module in the remains of the Kh-101 missile. Image via Defense Express
This announcement was made by the Head of the Main Department of the National Police in the Kyiv region Andriy Nebitov on Telegram. Preliminary analysis shows this specific module consists of components not covered by existing economic sanctions imposed on Russia due to its invasion of Ukraine.
The discussed missile was shot down by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The images posted online show components produced by the U.S. company Vicor. Apparently, these specific parts are used in the missile’s power system – the Vicor DC-DC power converter can be clearly seen in the images above. The full photo of the rocket remains is shown below:
Image credit: Ukrainian Armed Forces
Vicor is an American company that is also well-known in the international market including the aerospace sector. It is also included in the list of providers supplying parts for the Pentagon.
It also seems that many of Vicor’s components are not covered by the existing economic sanctions and can be purchased on different e-commerce platforms. This also indicates that the Russian military industry is even more tightly related to foreign-made parts than previously assumed, and there is still more space to make those sanctions work more effectively.