Almost 40% of Russian Shahed-type drones launched in Ukraine on the night of November 25 were destroyed by mobile air defense teams. The rest were shot down by other units.
This was announced by Mykola Oleshchuk, Commander of the Air Force.
The last Russian attack was the most massive use of loitering munition by the invaders of all time in a full-scale war.
A total of 75 Shahed drones were launched against Ukraine. The main direction of the Russian strike was Kyiv. According to updated data, air defense destroyed 74 enemy drones.
Ukrainian air defense operated in at least six regions of Ukraine: Kyiv, Sumy, Dnepropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, and Kirovohrad.
The Commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Lieutenant General Serhii Naiev, said that during the invaders’ air attack in the Northern Operating Zone, the Ukrainian Defense Forces destroyed 55 enemy Shahed drones. Of those, 28 enemy UAVs were destroyed by mobile air defense teams equipped with heavy machine guns, MANPADS and anti-aircraft guns.
“In particular, 7 drones were destroyed in the Sumy direction, 4 kamikaze drones were destroyed in Chernihiv, and 17 enemy UAVs were destroyed in Kyiv,” Naiev said.
Mobile air defense teams
As a large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine began, mobile fire groups were formed to immediately strengthen air defense. SUVs on which heavy machine guns and small-caliber anti-aircraft guns are mounted are used for the most part for such groups’ mobility. They are also reinforced by operators of portable anti-aircraft missile systems (MANPADS).
Capacity building of mobile air defense teams
In early November, Yurii Ihnat, spokesman for the Air Forces Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said that the number of air defense mobile fire teams in Ukraine would continue to increase. They are needed to strengthen the protection of strategic facilities and critical infrastructure from Russian strike drones.
Last month, the Command of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that in the north of Ukraine, the preparation and formation of new air defense teams continued.
In October, the Come Back Alive Foundation handed over the first specially designed telecommunications kits to mobile air defense fire teams.
Last month, the Kyiv region authorities handed over 45 SUVs equipped with turrets with special equipment for Mobile AA Teams. In the Mykolaiv region, 39 Mitsubishi L200 cars were purchased for mobile air defense teams.