"Ukraine is relying on a hodgepodge of air-defense systems to counter the Russian threat from the sky that has intensified with Moscow's use of drones that Ukraine and Western governments say have been supplied by Iran.
Kyiv has pleaded for more air-defense help from the U.S. and other Western backers. The top U.S. military officer, Gen. Mark Milley, and other allied officials have promised to help Ukraine acquire additional systems and connect them into an integrated network. But that assistance is coming slowly, leaving Ukraine vulnerable to continued attacks from drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles.
One reason for that is that the U.S. and its allied militaries didn't make air defense a priority after the end of the Cold War. At the time they saw the main threat coming from insurgents and regional powers and were confident their own air forces could seize command of the skies.
Adversaries such as Iran have sought to exploit this by developing cruise and ballistic missiles as well as drones that are cheap and relatively easy to use.
"The underfunding of air defenses for a generation is really a major issue for most Western allies," said James Rogers, an associate professor in war studies at the University of Southern Denmark and drone expert who recently briefed the United Nations Security Council on the transnational threat posed by drones.
After Ukraine was pummeled by drones and missiles this month, Gen. Milley, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the U.S. and its partners would help Ukraine build an integrated air defense to cover priority targets. Since then, no timetable has been set for building such a system.
"What Ukraine is asking for, and what we think can be provided, is an integrated air-missile defense system," he said.
Ukraine has used its Soviet-vintage air defense combined with portable Western-supplied missiles such as Stingers to thwart Russian attacks from manned aircraft and helicopters over cities. It has also faced a serious threat from Russian cruise and ballistic missiles launched from land, sea and air.
In May, Gen. Daniel Karbler, commander of the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command, said the conflict had "witnessed the largest use of offensive missile systems in Europe since World War II."
The problem has intensified since then with Shahed-136 and Shahed-131 drones that Ukrainian intelligence says have been acquired from Iran. White House spokesman John Kirby said Iranian personnel have been in Crimea helping to train Russian drone pilots and to provide technical support. Russia and Iran deny that Iran has supplied the drones.
Ukrainian military intelligence says Russia has ordered 2,400 Iranian drones of all kinds and has taken delivery of a second batch of 300. Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov has said Kyiv is now bracing for Tehran to supply Moscow with surface-to-surface missiles, which Russia is seeking to give it accurate and far-reaching new firepower as its own inventory dwindles.
The Shahed-136 drones were initially deployed to strike Ukrainian armor on the battlefield, but have since been repurposed to attack Ukraine's electrical grid and other vulnerable civilian infrastructure after Zelenski’s attempt to blow up Russian Crimea bridge.
Even with its current jumble of air-defense systems, Ukraine says it is increasing its success rate in destroying drones." [1]
Inexpensive drones are used here, therefore swarms of drones are flying in for one target. That make any defense much more difficult. Definitely, producers of those drones are learning from this experience to make the drones even more dangerous.
1. World News: Kyiv's Air Defenses Face Drone Threat
Kalin, Stephen; Gordon, Michael R.
Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]. 31 Oct 2022: A.6.
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