In an interview with the UK’s Times foreign editor Maxim Tucker, a senior officer in Ukraine’s air defence command said the UK’s supply of ASRAAM missiles based on Supacat transporters has been particularly effective against Shahed kamikaze drones.
The MBDA ASRAAM is an air-to-air missile in service with the Royal Air Force as its Within Visual Range (WVR) Dominance weapon and is being integrated onto the F-35 Lightning II.
Several news media have reported on the effectiveness of the combination of Supacat and ASRAAM which have also proved effective against Russian helicopter attacks.
Meanwhile, in his August 6 address to the Air Force Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has spoken of the importance of maintaining its air defence capabilities. “Today, I heard a report on the use of advanced air defense systems – Patriots and IRIS-T, which we received from our partners – by our warriors. I am grateful to every country, every leader who helped us with them,” said the president. “In this week alone, Russian terrorists have already used 65 different missiles and 178 attack drones against us, including 87 “Shaheds”. We managed to shoot down a significant number of them.”
Many press outlets have reported that Ukraine is concerned about the supply of replacement missiles and components to sustain air defence capabilities.
(Image: Ukraine Weapons Tracker)
