Expensive missiles against cheap drones: Ukrainian instructors criticized the US approach to fighting “shaheeds”
Ukrainian instructors of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, who trained American military personnel in the Persian Gulf, have expressed concerns about the US methods of combating Shahed drones. According to them, the allies are using expensive missiles against cheap targets and are not sufficiently protecting critical infrastructure.
This is reported by The Times .
According to the publication, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sent a group of 201 specialists at the request of the US Central Command to exchange experience in countering kamikaze drones.
Ukrainian instructors were surprised by the allies’ approach to destroying drones, in particular the use of high-cost missiles to destroy cheap drones.
“They often fired thoughtlessly. For example, they used an SM-6 missile worth about $6 million to shoot down a Shahed missile worth $70,000,” the Ukrainian officer said.
The Ukrainian military also drew attention to the insufficient level of radar camouflage. According to them, the allies are not fully utilizing the mobility and concealment measures that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are actively using.
One of the Ukrainian experts gave an example of the defeat of expensive radars using cheap drones. This includes the AN/FPS-132 early warning radar, worth about $1 billion, as well as at least one air defense radar, worth about $300 million.
“They stood in exactly the same place for two months, and then the Shaheds arrived. Three Shaheds worth about $70,000 each. And that’s it,” said a high-ranking Ukrainian officer.
As the publication notes, the Ukrainian military has significant experience in countering drones, in particular due to the constant movement of radars, which makes it difficult for the enemy to defeat them.
Recall that Ukraine sent a group of specialists and equipment to protect US military bases in Jordan after Washington’s request. This step allows the Ukrainian side to restore its presence in the global media space and demonstrate solidarity with partners, despite its own difficult security situation, – said Ivan Stupak, military analyst, SBU employee (2004-2015) on the air of “Pryamoy”.
Meanwhile, on the evening of March 11, the terrorist group Hezbollah announced the start of its operation and attacked Israel with rockets. According to IDF estimates, the group fired more than a hundred rockets from various areas of Lebanon. This is the largest attack by Hezbollah on Israel since the escalation of hostilities earlier this month, the Times of Israel reports.
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