The appearance of Iranian drones has become a new challenge for the Ukrainian air defense and missile defense system. Although, according to military experts, the technical characteristics of these drones are very low, it turned out that they are capable of causing enormous damage to civilian infrastructure. The enemy launches kamikaze drones in large groups, 10-20 at a time, exhausting Ukrainian air defenses. But our soldiers proved that "Shahed" can be shot down! In the first month and a half since the beginning of massive air attacks, the defense forces destroyed more than 300 Shahed-136.
Iranian drones have already been nicknamed "mopeds" by the people - they whirr so that you can hear them 10 kilometers away. They fly at a speed of 150-200 km/h, which is very slow by air defense standards. So - there is time to beat.
"Buk" and "S-300" missile systems cope with this task. The "IRIS-T" and "NASAMS" systems, which were transferred to Ukraine by the Allies, demonstrate phenomenal efficiency. But hitting cheap and slow Shaheds with expensive missiles is not a very good decision from the point of view of war economy. Precious ammunition should be protected in order to shoot down russian planes, ballistic and cruise missiles. Therefore, in order to destroy drones in Ukraine, mobile groups of "hunters" for drones are being created. Their armament includes the long-known "Stinger" and "Igla" MANPADS, as well as large-caliber machine guns. Yes, Russian drones can be shot down with a machine gun! It is important to aim at the right time and in the right place - even on the approach to residential areas, power plants and important infrastructure facilities. Ukrainian craftsmen connect two large-caliber machine guns and mount them in the bodies of pickup trucks. Such installations are capable of shooting down 80% of enemy drones! If you take into account the low cost of the anti-drone "wheelbarrow" itself and the availability of ammunition for it, the effectiveness is impressive.
During the most massive air attack since the beginning of the war (November 15), trussia launched 96 missiles and 10 drones over Ukraine. All 10 drones were shot down. 100% - a phenomenal result! And this is (not least) the merit of the SKY GUARDS mobile groups that hunt drones. They need fast and powerful pickups for patrolling.
