The Ukrainian government asserts that the effectiveness of its air defences has grown to 75%, even though some Russian missiles can still penetrate it. Ukrainian air defences only successfully intercepted 30% of the missiles before the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion; today, that percentage is 75%.
In an interview with Channel 24, Colonel Yuri Ignat, the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine spokesperson, said that Ukraine has not successfully intercepted all kinds of missiles.
Ukraine’s systems can shoot down specific cruise missiles because of their design features. The Buk-M1 and S-300 are the two primary systems currently used by Ukraine. He clarified to UNIAN that they are anti-aircraft guided missiles that can destroy both aeroplanes and cruise missiles.
So, according to him, Ukraine can now shoot down missiles like the Kalibr(3M14) sea-based cruise missile; Kh-101 / Kh-555 / Kh–55 air-launched cruise missiles; R-500 (9M728) – land cruise missile of the “Iskander-K” complex (similar to “Caliber”); X-59 – guided air-to-surface missile; and the Kh-35 is an air, sea or land-based anti-ship missile.
What missiles Ukraine does not shoot down
The ballistic Iskander-M 9M723 missiles that were used frequently by Russia at the start of the conflict have not been stopped by Ukraine so far. He asserted that the Russians had begun using antiquated Tochka-U missile systems after exhausting their primary stock of Iskander-M weapons. He said that these obsolete weapons struck the Kramatorsk station. In addition, he added that the Ukrainian air defence could not shoot down multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) missiles such as the Smerch.
Also, according to Ignat, the Ukrainian Air Defense Forces cannot shoot down Kh-22 missiles.
More than 120 Kh-22 missiles have been fired since the commencement of the operation, but none of them has been shot down by Ukrainian air defence. The reasoning for this is straightforward. Ignat stated that for Ukraine to shoot down the Kh-22, they needed an aviation missile system equipped with the most cutting-edge radar and a sophisticated missile capable of operating in an autonomous mode, which meant that it could make decisions independently without the need for human intervention.
The spokesperson said the P-800 Onyx supersonic coastal anti-ship cruise missiles that are frequently used in the Odessa area are in a situation that is similar to that of the Kh-22.
In addition, according to him, Kh-31P “narrow profile” air-launched anti-radar missiles and other comparable short-range air-to-surface missiles are not being shot down either.
The aeroballistic hypersonic missile known as the X-47 “Dagger” is the final item on the list.
According to him, the hypersonic aeroballistic X-47 “Dagger” missile carried by MiG-31K aircraft is the most recent danger. Yuriy Ignat summarises the situation by saying that the complexity of its destruction is significantly far greater than that of the Kh-22. This is due to the substantially higher speed of flight, which results in even less time for the reaction of equipment and personnel.
Missile threat in Ukraine – latest data
Since the fall of last year, approximately seven hundred hostile missiles have been intercepted and destroyed in Ukraine, according to the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
At the same time, there has been an increase in the number of alarms in Ukraine over the past few days. According to the claims of the pro-western experts, this is the case because the Russians are allegedly firing at fake targets while simultaneously reporting to the Kremlin on the damage caused to Ukraine.
On June 15th, United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin stated that additional air defence systems are being provided to Ukraine. He says that the number of countries actively participating in the process of bolstering the Ukrainian air defence system has increased.
In January, 65 Ukrainian personnel arrived at the Fort Sill military facility in Oklahoma for training on the Patriot air defence system, which the US had previously said would be transferred. According to news sources, they completed training in March. The deployment of the batteries in Ukraine is expected in 3 months. According to US media, the Ukrainian military installs a battery of Patriot air defence systems in 25 minutes, while deployment in 45 minutes is considered the usual. However, experts believe that these air defence systems will not provide Ukraine with any real advantage because, according to various calculations, to effectively close the airspace, which provides for the defeat of 85% of targets, Ukraine will require at least nine batteries of Patriot air defence systems, while Ukraine will only be able to receive three batteries – several European countries will coordinate deliveries in addition to the United States.
( Also read: Not a Scud, can Patriot Air Defence system down the Russian Iskander missile system and Patriot Missiles with a “History of Tragedies” are about to be sent to Ukraine )