“Russian air defense nightmare”: expert explains why Russians will not be able to shoot down <a href="https://www.archyde.com/north-korea-launches-missiles-in-response-to-u-s-sanctions-will-the-new-round-of-confrontation-between-north-korea-and-the-united-states-escalate_sina-news/” title=”North Korea launches missiles in response to U.S. sanctions. Will the new round of confrontation between North Korea and the United States escalate?_Sina News”>ATACMS missiles
Military expert, reserve colonel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Roman Svitanas, explained what is special about the American long-range ATACMS missiles transferred to Ukraine and whether the Russian air defense system will be able to fight them.
“The Russians tried to shoot down these ATACMS missiles, but they didn’t shoot them down. This is because the missile does not move on a pure ballistic trajectory, but on a so-called quasi-ballistic trajectory: it will run along the trajectory, it can “cut corners”. It essentially performs an anti-missile maneuver, as any air defense missile system attempting to shoot down a ballistic missile sends its missiles to a rendezvous point calculated by the targeting system. And when the ballistic trajectory is constantly changing, it is impossible to calculate this meeting point, so the missiles of the air defense system simply fly into the air empty: therefore, at the meeting point calculated by the machine, this missile is no longer there, and one more anti-missile and another is needed,” the expert quotes UNIAN.
The expert is convinced that the Russians are unlikely to shoot down ATACMS missiles.
“The missile that was handed over to us does not hit the target directly, that is, it explodes more than a kilometer above the target. In this case, it cannot be affected by radio electronic warfare, no suppressor has the power to shoot down this missile, and it will also hit the suppressor when it explodes. When she gets close to the target, she creates such an “umbrella” that covers a large area. Even a shot down missile, even if someone shoots it down, no matter how, it also explodes and again scatters those charges that land on the enemy. So there is almost one hundred percent hit, at least one hundred percent utilization of these missiles. I think that’s exactly why they were handed over to us: these missiles cannot be affected by Russian radio-electronic warfare, because they explode at high altitudes, and it is impossible to shoot them down with air defense missile systems,” concluded R. Svitanas.
On Tuesday, the Russians complained of heavy Ukrainian strikes on Berdiansk and Luhansk airfields, claiming that the Ukrainian side had used US-provided ATACMS missiles. Western media wrote that such weapons were secretly transferred to Ukraine.
The US has confirmed that it has transferred ATACMS missiles to Ukraine. The amount of rockets is limited – about 20 units. The New York Times reported that one of the conditions imposed on the Ukrainians was that ATACMS missiles could not be used for attacks on Russian territory.
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#Russian #air #defense #nightmare #expert #explains #Russians #shoot #ATACMS #missiles
**Interview with Military Expert Roman Svitanas on ATACMS Missiles and Russian Air Defense**
**Interviewer:** Thank you for joining us today, Colonel Svitanas. There’s been a lot of discussion regarding the new ATACMS missiles that have been supplied to Ukraine. Can you explain what makes these missiles particularly challenging for Russian air defense systems?
**Roman Svitanas:** Thank you for having me. The ATACMS missiles are unique due to their quasi-ballistic trajectory. Unlike traditional ballistic missiles, which follow a predictable path, ATACMS can “cut corners” mid-flight, making them extremely difficult to target. Russian air defense systems rely on calculating a meeting point to intercept incoming missiles. Since ATACMS changes its trajectory, this calculation becomes virtually impossible, leading to air defense missiles missing their mark.
**Interviewer:** That sounds complicated for their defense systems. What specific tactics do the Russians use to counter these missiles, and why are they ineffective?
**Roman Svitanas:** The Russians have tried to shoot down ATACMS missiles, but with limited success. They utilize various air defense missiles which are designed for a more straightforward ballistic trajectory. When confronted with the maneuverability of ATACMS, their systems can’t adjust quickly enough, which means that their interceptors often end up firing into empty air.
**Interviewer:** I understand the ATACMS missiles don’t directly hit their targets but instead detonate above them. How does this contribute to their effectiveness?
**Roman Svitanas:** Exactly. The ATACMS explodes over a kilometer above the target, which greatly enhances its blast radius. This means that even if the missile isn’t on a direct collision course with its target, it still creates widespread damage when it detonates. Furthermore, this high-altitude detonation makes it resilient to radio electronic warfare tactics, as no suppressor can effectively neutralize it before detonation.
**Interviewer:** Given this new capability, what do you predict for the effectiveness of Russian air defense as the conflict progresses?
**Roman Svitanas:** I am convinced that the Russians will struggle significantly to defend against ATACMS. Their current defensive systems lack the agility and advanced technology necessary to keep up with these missiles. As Ukraine continues to leverage ATACMS in its operations, we can expect to see a sustained impact on Russian military capabilities, particularly in the temporarily occupied regions.
**Interviewer:** Thank you, Colonel Svitanas, for your insights today. It’s clear that the landscape of aerial combat is evolving, and Ukraine’s use of ATACMS represents a significant challenge for Russian defenses.
**Roman Svitanas:** Thank you for the opportunity to discuss this important topic.
