The more Russia attacks, the stronger Ukraine's air defense system becomes?

With the help of Western weapons and increasing combat experience, Ukraine's air defense forces have begun to make great strides, preventing Russia from gaining air superiority. This is an important step as a potential counterattack by Kyiv is approaching, according to the AP news agency.

Ukraine's combat experience

Expert Ian Williams, a member of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS, USA), commented that Ukraine's gradually strengthened defense system prevented Russian aircraft from penetrating deep behind the front line and "has greatly shaped the course of the war".

HAWK surface-to-air missile system

A Ukrainian air force report cited by AP coincides with Williams’ assessment. Since April 28, Russia has launched a total of 67 missiles and 114 drones into Ukraine. However, only 7 missiles and 11 drones have penetrated the air defense system, and none have hit the capital Kyiv.

This is considered a major advance that the Ukrainian army has achieved since the early days of the war, after many waves of Russian missiles and aircraft broke through the defense lines and caused heavy losses to Kyiv's air force.

Ukraine's air defense weakness exposed, the West urgently helps to overcome?

Last week, Kyiv units also reported shooting down Russia’s most advanced hypersonic missile, a weapon previously considered unstoppable by Ukraine. A newly acquired US-made Patriot battery is believed to have contributed to the success. Although Russia has not confirmed the information, the result is believed to have been informed by lessons learned from earlier stages of the conflict.

Western weapons

Another factor that helps the Ukrainian air force become more and more complete is weapons from the US and members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), according to Forbes magazine.

According to AP, before receiving air defense missile systems from the West, the two main systems used by Ukraine were the Soviet-era S300 long-range and Buk medium-range systems.

US Patriot missile defense system

However, the turning point for Ukraine's air defense system is said to come in October and November 2022. At that time, Soviet-era weapons will gradually be used by Ukraine in combination with new systems from Western allies, including the IRIS-T medium-range missile from Germany and the NASAMS (Norwegian Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System) built by the US and Norway.

According to AP, after receiving the above systems, in December 2022, Ukraine reported intercepting about 80% of Russian cruise missiles.

The truth about Ukraine shooting down a Russian hypersonic missile with Patriot

In addition, as Russia stepped up its airstrikes, Kyiv’s forces also received SAMP/T air defense systems from Europe and HAWK missiles made in the United States. In April, Ukraine received two additional Patriot batteries from the United States. So far, Kyiv has continued to be successful in convincing its allies to provide more air defense weapons. The United States announced an additional $1.2 billion in long-term military aid on May 8, including new HAWK systems, drones, and anti-aircraft ammunition.

Currently, Ukraine’s air defenses are set up with overlapping ranges, combining lines of defense from near to far. That’s because a single layer of air defense is not enough to stop all airstrikes. “The more layers you have, the more opportunities you have,” said Douglas Barrie, an aerospace and defense expert at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

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