17 IRIS-Ts will boost Ukraine’s air defenses but it’s still not enough, experts say

https://kyivindependent.com/17-iris-ts-will-boost-ukraines-air-defenses-but-iranian-ballistic-threat-a-real-concern-experts-say/

Ukraine's continued requests to Western allies for more air defenses were answered in part this week, with the announcement that Germany has ordered an additional 17 IRIS-T air defense systems for Kyiv.

And the timing couldn't be more critical – an ongoing campaign of aerial strikes on Kharkiv, devastating attacks like that on Ukraine's largest children's hospital in July, a strike on Poltava earlier this week that killed at least 55 people, and an attack on Lviv the day after, repeatedly highlight the shortcomings in the country's air defenses.

. . .

But according to experts who spoke to the Kyiv Independent, while welcome, the IRIS-Ts will be unable to protect from something that has become an increasing concern in recent days – Iranian ballistic missiles.

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tal@lemmy.today · 1 pts · 2y

Theoretically, those elderly HAWKs we sent to deal with the Shaheds do have a limited anti-ballistic missile capability, given the right MIM-23 missile variant. I don't know if it's adequate to deal with the Iranian ballistic missiles, though.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIM-23_Hawk

and in 1995, a new warhead that made it capable against short-range tactical ballistic missiles

MediaBiasFactChecker@lemmy.world · -3 pts · 2y

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p8v8x716ln@endlesstalk.org · -13 pts · 2y
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