(Dan Tri) – Ukraine is said to have used missiles provided by the US to attack Russian targets, including fighter jets.
US ATACMS tactical missile (Photo: AFP).
According to the Kyiv Post news site, Ukraine has strengthened its air defense capabilities in recent months and claimed to have shot down five Russian Su-25 attack aircraft in about 10 days.
The above incidents mainly occurred in areas with fierce fighting on the ground, because the Su-25 launched short-range, unguided missiles to attack targets, after attacks by class bombers.
Experts say this is a powerful fighter aircraft from the Soviet era, designed to withstand a number of missile attacks and small arms fire, making the Su-25 a deadly weapon.
`These aircraft cannot attack from a long distance. Therefore, enemy aircraft have to fly closer and as a result we have shot down 5 aircraft in the past 10 days,` said Oleksandr Shtupun, spokesman
According to Business Insider, this is an unprecedented level of fighter aircraft loss since the early days of Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine.
The Ukrainian military often uses shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles such as the Polish Grom and the American Stinger to protect forward positions from Su-25 attacks.
Ukraine has sought support from the US to replenish its air defense arsenal and the AIM-9 is on this list.
Recently, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said that the new round of US military aid to Ukraine `includes AIM-9 ammunition for the new air defense system that the US will soon transfer to Ukraine`.
Canada also announced that it will provide 43 AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles to Ukraine in May.
According to the US Air Force, the AIM-9 Sidewinder `is a supersonic, heat-seeking, air-to-air missile equipped on fighter aircraft`, `has a high-explosive warhead and an infrared heat-seeking guidance system.`
Meanwhile, Britain also provided advanced AIM-132 ASRAAM air-to-air missiles to Ukraine.
Ukraine’s newly equipped ATACMS missile systems also enhance its attack capabilities against the Russian air force.
The British Ministry of Defense said it was `most likely` that nine helicopters were destroyed in Berdyansk and another five were downed in Lugansk.
The US confirmed that it had transferred to Ukraine ATACMS missiles with an attack range of 165km.
In addition, Ukraine said it had reached an agreement with the US regarding Washington’s provision of ATACMS missiles with a strike range of 300km.
The United States has provided a limited number of long-range ballistic missiles to support Ukraine’s defense efforts.
President Zelenskyy said the missiles were used on the battlefield and were carried out `very precisely,` according to AP.
