Come Back Alive Foundation Provides Equipment to Ukrainian ‘Shahed Catchers’
22 January, 2024 Cars and equipment were handed over by the joint efforts of the Come Back Alive Foundation and "Ukrnafta" on January 22, 2024. Photo credits: Come Back Alive Foundation The Come Back Alive Foundation, in collaboration with Ukrnafta, has equipped mobile anti-aircraft fire teams with necessary equipment and vehicles.
This was reported by the press service of the foundation. Due to Ukrnafta funds, the Come Back Alive Foundation's team handed over pickups, searchlights, thermal imaging optics, generators, and other equipment to the mobile anti aircraft fire teams of one of the Anti-Aircraft Machine Gun Battalions of the Ukrainian army. These units are "hunting" Russian long-range strike drones and cruise missiles.
With a contribution of UAH 13,621,450.4 from partners, the Foundation gained the opportunity to purchase and transfer the following equipment to the 'Shahed Catchers':
- 11 new four-wheel drive pickups and additional rubber sets
- 15 thermal sights with machine gun mounts and 15 monoculars
- 10 searchlights and 15 laser pointers for target illumination
- 10 generators, 10 portable charging stations
- 11 cars and 10 portable walkie-talkies, 10 Starlink terminals and routers each
Cars and equipment were handed over by the joint efforts of the Come Back Alive Foundation and "Ukrnafta" on January 22, 2024. Photo credits: Come Back Alive Foundation
According to the press service of the Foundation, all this equipment has already been received for service by crews of mobile AA fire teams.
What are mobile fire teams?
At the end of 2022, to quickly strengthen air defense in Ukraine, the first air defense units were created, which included mobile groups. Soldiers armed with machine guns, automatic guns, MANPADS, and trucks carry out ambushes on the routes of Russian kamikaze drones and cruise missiles with which Ukrainian cities and strategic objects are fired.
Every time the Air Raid Alarm starts in Ukraine, the Air Defense Mobile Fire Teams Forces are already in full alert.
According to Yuriy Ihnat, the spokesman for the Air Forces Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the establishment of mobile fire teams was a necessary measure taken by the military leadership of Ukraine to provide local protection for infrastructure and other state and strategic military facilities that could potentially be targeted by the enemy.
The mobile fire team fires at aerial targets.
Photo credits: Air Command "South"
The main task of such teams is to intercept as many simple and cheap targets as possible, such as Shahed drones, in order to facilitate the work of more powerful anti-aircraft missile systems and preserve their limited ammunition.