Ukraine's IRIS-T launcher destroys 8 Russian missiles in just 30 seconds
Photo: IRIS-T destroyed eight missiles in 30 seconds (facebook.com/kpszsu)
The IRIS-T system, which Ukraine received from Germany, shot down eight Russian missiles in 30 seconds. They were aimed at a critical infrastructure facility, according to the Air Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The commander of the launch battery of the anti-aircraft missile brigade of the Air Command West said that the military has a tradition — to mark destroyed enemy targets on the launcher. One such mark on the IRIS-T launcher has as many as eight notches.
According to the commander, during one enemy attack, the defenders destroyed eight Russian cruise missiles in 30 seconds.
As the soldier explained, the IRIS-T launcher is equipped with eight guided anti-aircraft missiles. In 30 seconds, the troops fully emptied it and prevented damage to the critical infrastructure facility.
"We destroyed all targets within 30 seconds. The Russian cruise missiles entered the engagement zone literally one after another, and we immediately locked onto them as targets and fired upon them. For each target, we used one of our guided anti-aircraft missiles. We operated with 100 percent accuracy. The IRIS-T system can simultaneously engage many targets. And this allows successfully repelling massive enemy missile strikes," he explained.
Photo: IRIS-T in the Ukrainian Armed Forces (facebook.com/kpszsu)
The anti-aircraft troops positively evaluate their IRIS-T. This one launcher alone has already destroyed more than 30 targets.
"Before IRIS-T, we operated the Buk M1 SAM system. We also shot down many Russian aircraft, helicopters, and cruise missiles with it. But IRIS-T exceeded all our expectations. We have studied it well. We have serious combat experience. No one else in the world except us has used IRIS-T in such dynamic and large-scale air defense battles," said the commander.
Ukrainian Air Defense
Since the full-scale war began, Ukrainian air defense has been strengthened with modern weapons. This includes Patriot, SAMP-T, IRIS-T, Nasams, and others.
However, Ukraine continues to urge its partners to make greater efforts to enhance air defense and deliver additional systems to protect against Russian attacks. In the summer of 2024, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine needs 25 Patriots to fully cover the sky.
Earlier, the Air Forces showed how the IRIS-T works in Ukraine.
