Russian Missile Upgrades Test Ukraine's Defenses

The large-scale assault launched by Russia recently has underscored the growing challenges faced by Ukrainians when trying to intercept ballistic missiles, despite having access to Patriot air defense systems. According to Ukrainian military authorities, these difficulties stem from alterations Russian forces have implemented in their weaponry.

The Unian news agency has reported that during the night from April 5th to April 6th, Russian forces struck the Kiev area, encompassing the city itself, using six Iskander-M tactical missiles originating from Russia’s Bryansk district. Only one of these Iskander missiles was successfully intercepted by the defending forces.

The Russians are enhancing their ballistic missile technology.

Colonel Yuriy Ihnat, who leads the press service for the Ukrainian Air Force, stressed that Russian forces are consistently improving their weaponry to boost efficiency. While many conversations focus on the Shahed drones, Russia’s advancements are also apparent in deadlier armaments such as ballistic missiles.

"The same holds true for ballistic missiles. Since the deployment of Patriot systems, we have started achieving successful outcomes in intercepting Kinzhals and Iskanders. However, it has become more challenging as the adversary is enhancing their ballistic missile capabilities," noted Yuriy Ihnat.

Are Ukrainian forces missing out on Patriot missiles due to dangerous Russian weaponry?

The Iskander-M system grants Russia substantial advantages. These missiles exceed 23 feet in length and have an operational range spanning from 310 to 370 miles. Similar to other ballistic systems, they accelerate rapidly post-launch, reaching velocities around 6-7 times the speed of sound (roughly 4,570 to 5,340 mph). As such, defending against Iskander-M missiles presents a considerable challenge for air defense units.

The Patriot system stands as one of the limited options effective against such threats. Nevertheless, alterations made by Russia to their intercontinental ballistic missiles might diminish the efficiency of these defense mechanisms. As reported by Yuriy Ihnat, Ukraine is collaborating with Western allies to share intelligence and urging them to evaluate potential enhancements for these systems.

The Ukrainian military analyst and ex-spokesperson for the general staff, Vladyslav Selezinov, noted that Russia’s alterations to their ballistic missiles put more pressure on defense forces. These assaults are especially difficult due to the frequent accompanying drone strikes.

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Vladyslav Selezniov, speaking on NV radio, pointed out that "Our air and missile defense systems, despite their efficacy, won’t always manage to fend off every assault from enemies. Additionally, we’ve seen them pairing missile strikes with drone usage. This suggests that the manufacturing of such drones has likely ramped up."

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