Ukrainian Armed Forces instructors were shocked by the way US troops shoot down "Shaheds"
Since the start of the full-scale war, Ukraine’s air defences have destroyed around 140,000 targets, including missiles, drones, bombs and aircraft. More than 44,000 of these were Shahed-type drones. This was reported by The Public, citing The Times.
US President Donald Trump has stated that he does not need Ukraine’s help. At the same time, according to a Ukrainian officer, US Central Command has enlisted Ukrainian advisers who are already working in the Gulf states. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that around 200 Ukrainian specialists have been sent to Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
Ukrainian military officials have highlighted the use of expensive systems to destroy cheap drones. According to them, up to eight Patriot missiles are sometimes used in the region to hit a single target, whereas Ukrainian units typically use one or two missiles even against ballistic threats.
According to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in the first four days of the war with Iran, the US and its allies used over 800 Patriot missiles. By comparison, Ukraine has received around a thousand such missiles throughout the entire period of the full-scale invasion.
Ukrainian military officials also point to instances of mistaken hits. In particular, on 1 March, three American F-15E fighter jets were shot down by Kuwaiti air defence systems whilst pursuing drones.
Analysts suggest that the difference in approaches may be explained by the use of automatic operating modes in Gulf countries, whereas Ukrainian crews often operate in manual mode.
During the Shahed drone attacks, significant damage was inflicted on infrastructure, particularly radar systems. There are reports of damage to an American AN/FPS-132 early warning radar, as well as one of the radars in the Terminal High Altitude Air Defence system.
The Ukrainian military notes that it is not only important to intercept targets, but also to preserve expensive equipment. They use camouflage and manoeuvring to avoid losses.
Particular attention is being paid to changes in the tactics for using Patriot systems. In particular, in May 2023, a unit under the command of an officer with the call sign ‘Matyory’ destroyed three Russian aircraft and two helicopters over the Bryansk region.
Unit commanders note that modern warfare demands new approaches to air defence. Colonel Kirilo Peretyatko of the Ukrainian Air Force emphasised that the combat operation of such systems is a team effort and requires precise coordination.
“Not a single person made a mistake for even a second or hesitated about what to do, because combat operations on any anti-aircraft missile system are a team effort. Over the radio, I heard my officers shouting: ‘Commander — the sky is ablaze, everything is being destroyed’,” he said.
According to the military, other countries are studying Ukraine’s experience in countering various types of threats, as such combat conditions did not exist before.
