Military shows how a Kh-101 missile was shot down with Stinger in the Kyiv region

2 September, 2023 Stinger MANPADS of the Ukrainian military. April 2022. Photo: Ukrainian Air Assault Forces

The Ukrainian military has recently shot down a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile in the Kyiv region. To do this, the fire mobile group used a FIM-92 Stinger man-portable air-defense system. The Commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Lieutenant General Serhii Naiev, released a video of the combat work of the MANPADS operator.

Naiev met with the personnel of the mobile fire group on air defense operating in the Kyiv direction. It was these warriors who shot down the Russian Kh-101 cruise missile during an August 30 missile attack with the Stinger MANPADS. The published footage portrays the MANPADS operator launching an infrared homing anti-aircraft missile at night at an enemy missile flying in the sky. In a few seconds, the camera captures the explosion, which indicates the shooting down of an air object.

Lieutenant General congratulated the servicemen with an excellent result, thanked them for their fighting spirit, successful organization and ensuring the protection of the Ukrainian sky, and also awarded the awards "For courage and valor".

Awarding of servicemen of the mobile fire group.

2023. Photo credits: Command of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

According to the Commander, an extensive air defense system operates in the Northern Operating Zone, one of the elements of which is mobile firing groups equipped with portable anti-aircraft missile systems. "The difficulty of these fighters is that unlike the operators of stationary anti-aircraft missile systems, which have the ability to automatically detect targets, they are forced to find, capture and, most importantly, destroy the target on their own very quickly," said Serhii Naiev.

The Defense Forces receive such portable air defense systems as military assistance from countries that support Ukraine in confronting the Russian invasion. This includes the United States and the Baltic States.

Stinger MANPADS

Stinger MANPADS. Photo from open sources

FIM-92 Stinger is a man-portable air-defense system (MANPADS) with an infrared homing head developed by the American company General Dynamics.

This weapon is currently manufactured by the defense company Raytheon Technologies.

MANPADS is designed to defeat low-flying enemy helicopters and aircraft.

This can also happen under the influence of natural and artificial thermal interference.

FIM-92 Stinger DMS MANPADS operator, December 2022

In addition, to defeat an enemy aerial target, the Ukrainian military uses a twin MANPADS launcher FIM-92 Stinger Dual Mount Stinger (DMS) from a fixed ground position or from a vehicle.