Dramatic footage captures Stinger MANPADS obliterating Russian jet Shahed drone
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An FIM-92 Stinger launcher (Photo: AVDKL / Wikipedia)
In an astonishing feat of battlefield precision, soldiers from the 93rd Separate Mechanized Brigade "Kholodny Yar" used a Stinger MANPADS to down a Russian jet-powered drone, publishing footage of the mid-air interception on August 6.
The engagement took place near Kramatorsk.
“Hearing the roar of the drone, they reacted instantly, grabbed an American MANPADS, and fired,” the caption to the video read. “The jet-powered version of the Shahed is considered an extremely difficult target, so even veteran anti-aircraft crews are genuinely thrilled with such a successful 'hunt’.”
The brigade added that the Kholodny Yar anti-aircraft missile battalion still neutralizes the vast majority of its aerial targets using drones.
Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat reported in May that Russian troops were increasingly deploying jet-powered Shaheds capable of reaching speeds between 400 and 500 km/h.
Former Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi stated that Russia is shifting its drone warfare tactics with plans to increase jet-powered attack drones to 50% of all launched munitions in future airstrikes, creating severe new challenges for Ukraine’s air defense systems.
Analysts from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported on July 2 that Russia’s increased use of jet-powered Shahed drones, which are more difficult for Ukrainian air defenses to shoot down, has led to an increase in the scale of damage inflicted on Ukrainian civilians.
The latest variant of Russian strike drones differs fundamentally from its predecessors in both technical specifications and acoustic signature, according to a report by The Telegraph. Equipped with Chinese-manufactured turbojet engines, the upgraded drones are capable of reaching speeds of up to 500 kilometers per hour, nearly tripling the performance of conventional propeller-driven Shahed drones that fly at roughly 180 kilometers per hour.
These loitering munitions carry a high-explosive warhead weighing between 50 and 90 kilograms.
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