Ukraine's air defence capacity halved amid missile onslaught

According to the "New York Times," in May 2023, the Ukrainian air defence successfully intercepted 80 per cent of the Russian missiles. However, their capability to do so has halved due to a deficiency in ammunition. Key challenges come from the Iskander-M ballistic and Kh-22 missiles. What exactly are these weapons?

The Iskander is a short-range land ballistic missile system. Its launchers are mounted on mobile truck platforms. The Russians have developed three versions of this system—Iskander-M, Iskander-K, and Iskander-E (the latter intended for export), employing the first one in Ukraine. The Iskander-M ballistic missiles can weigh up to about 500 kilograms. Upon being launched, they can reach an altitude of up to 50 kilometres, with their range estimated at nearly 500 kilometres.

The Kh-22 missiles are deployed by Russian long-range aviation. They are notable for their significant speeds. During flight, they travel at about Mach 3 (approximately 3,600 km/h), and during the so-called diving phase (as the missile approaches its target), they can reach speeds of up to Mach 4 (about 4,900 km/h).

The deployment of Iskander-M ballistic missiles and Kh-22 missiles by the Russians to target Ukrainian positions has been ongoing. The issue, however, is the noticeable uptick in the usage of these weapons amid declining ammunition supplies among Ukrainian forces.

According to the "New York Times," which scrutinised all notifications of the Ukrainian armed forces regarding Russian missile attacks and the count of missiles intercepted, there has been a notable decline in the effectiveness of Ukrainian air defence. Increasing Russian assaults, targeting everything from civilian infrastructure, weapons manufacturing facilities, supply routes to the front, and front-line units themselves, are becoming unstoppable.

Kyiv is now more urgently than ever requesting assistance from Western allies for air defence systems and ammunition. Yet, the situation is exacerbating as the Russians have shifted tactics. They are unleashing a larger onslaught, simultaneously deploying ballistic, manoeuvring, and hypersonic missiles. To disorient the Ukrainian anti-missile defence, they initiated the assault with drone attacks, followed by a coordinated missile barrage from various directions, the newspaper details.

The most efficient Western air defence systems and the ammunition for them, prominently including the Patriot and Iris-T systems, are of particular value to the Ukrainians.