Air Force specifies which missiles can and cannot be shot down by Ukrainian air defence systems

Ukrainian air defence is effective at shooting down Russian cruise missiles, but has no means to intercept ballistic missiles and a few other types of projectiles.

Source: Yurii Ihnat, spokesman of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in an interview to Channel 24

Details: The spokesman specified what types of missiles can be shot down by Ukrainian air defence:

• Kalibr (3М14) is a sea-based cruise missile [with which the enemy attacks from the Black Sea – Channel 24];
•  Kh-101/Kh-555/Kh-55 – air-launched cruise missiles;
• R-500 (9M728) is a land-based cruise missile from the Iskander-K system [a Kalibr analogue – ed.];
•  Kh-59 – a guided air-to-surface missile;
•  Kh-35 – an air-, sea- or shore-based anti-ship missile.

And which cannot be shot down: 

• 9М723 – Iskander-M ballistic missile;
•  9M79M – OTR21 Tochka missile;
•  Multiple-launch rocket system missiles;
•  Kh-22 – a supersonic long-range air-launched anti-ship cruise missile;
•  R-800 – Onyx land-based cruise missile;
•  Kh-47 – hypersonic Kinzhal aeroballistic missile;
•  Kh-31P –  an air-to-surface anti-radar missile;

Quote from Ihnat: "We cannot shoot down ballistic missiles. In particular, Iskander-M, the ballistic 9M723 missiles, which the enemy used a lot at the beginning of the war. In fact, the Russians used up all their strategic stock of Iskander-M at the beginning of the war, so later began to use the outdated Tochka systems. At the Kramatorsk station, for example. Also, unfortunately, there is no way to intercept multiple-launch rocket system missiles, such as Smerch.

All these missiles fly fast on a ballistic trajectory and actually fall on the target with great speed. In order to shoot down what is already falling, special anti-aircraft missile systems are needed. Ballistics also includes S-300 anti-aircraft guided missiles, which the occupiers use against ground targets in the front-line zone at a distance of up to 150 kilometres.

The greater the distance from the launch site, the greater the inaccuracy, so they often end up in the wrong place, and civilians die. With such application, it is nothing more than a weapon of terrorism.

Although the Kh-22 missile is classified as a cruise missile, its speed is 4,000-5,000 kilometres per hour. It is launched from a very high altitude, and when it hits the target, it actually dives like a ballistic missile. This missile has a lethal warhead weighing 950 kilograms. It was this projectile that demolished the house in Dnipro and the shopping centre in Kremenchuk.

The situation is similar to the Kh-22 regarding the R-800 Onyx shore-based supersonic anti-ship cruise missiles, which are often launched in Odesa.

And, of course, the newest threat is the Kh-47 Kinzhal hypersonic aeroballistic missile, which is launched from a MiG-31K aircraft. The complexity of its damage is conventionally several times higher than that of the same Kh-22, due to a much higher flight speed, an even shorter response time given for equipment and people.

Until not long ago, their use was one-off, but the recent deployment of six missiles [Russia launched six Kinzhals on the night of 9 March – ed.] confirms the real danger of these weapons and the critical need for modern air defence.

In addition, ‘narrow-profile’ air-to-surface anti-radar Kh-31P missiles and similar air-to-surface missiles of a shorter range, of a lower tactical niche, so to speak, cannot be shot down either. But they mostly pose a threat only near the battle line.

We say all this honestly so as not to instil any hope in vain. We are not Russia and we cannot lie to our own people."

Reference: Ukraine needs systems that are capable of shooting down Kh-22 missiles and other high-speed missiles. These are the Patriot air defence system and the FSAF SAMP/T. But their range of hitting ballistic targets is only about 40 kilometres.

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