The Armed Forces of Ukraine have found a way to shoot down jet-powered "Shaheds" using old Soviet surface-to-air missile systems and have already destroyed more than 20 targets
Kyiv • UNN
The Ukrainian military combined the Soviet-era Kub and Buk systems to destroy jet-powered "Shaheds." The system has already hit more than 20 targets.
Ukrainian forces have learned to effectively destroy jet-powered Shaheds by combining the capabilities of Soviet Buk and Kub surface-to-air missile systems. One such system has already shot down more than 20 aerial targets. This was reported by Defense Express, citing the 156th Maksym Kryvonos Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment, UNN writes.
Details
The military used a launcher from the Kub system together with a Buk self-propelled firing unit, which has its own radar station. This allows 3M9 missiles from the Kub to engage targets with radar illumination provided by the Buk.
The distinctive feature of this solution is that the military did not have to structurally modify either vehicle. The result was achieved by combining their capabilities with the operators’ experience.
American missiles are also being used against Shaheds
According to the 156th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment, one of these combined systems has already destroyed more than 20 aerial targets, most of them jet-powered Shaheds.
In addition, Ukrainian defenders are using modernized Buk systems as part of the FrankenSAM program. It involves adapting Soviet air defense systems to use Western missiles, including American AIM-7s.
As Defense Express notes, the combat experience of Ukrainian anti-aircraft gunners demonstrates that even Soviet-made equipment can remain effective against modern aerial threats, provided its capabilities are combined intelligently.