Russia’s ‘game-changing’ tactic that is outsmarting Western weapons | World | News
A ‘game-changing’ development in Russian missiles has rendered Western weapons ineffective in the war in the skies, Ukrainian officials admit.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Vladimir Putin’s forces have been firing various long-range missiles at Ukrainian cities.
These missiles, which cause terrible losses, can be launched hundreds of kilometers away from land, sea or air. Ukraine has been able to gradually reduce the effectiveness of these weapons through a combination of early warning systems, electronic warfare, and counter-attacks on Russian launch platforms.
It was also seen that Patriot missile batteries were sent to Ukraine in early 2023. This mobile surface-to-air missile launcher has proven so effective at shooting down Russian missiles that Volodymyr Zelensky has frequently called for more units to be sent to his embattled country.
But Russia has since changed both its tactics and technology, neutralizing most of Ukraine’s countermeasures, including Patriot. Ukrainian sources confirmed Finance Times It turns out that Russia’s 310-mile-range Iskander-M mobile system and 298-mile-range Kinzhal air-launched ballistic missile were probably not rated to deceive the Patriots.
It is also thought that the missiles changed their trajectories by diving steeply over the target to mislead Patriot systems. A former Ukrainian official described it as a ‘game changer’ for Russia.
Worryingly for Ukraine, the proof lies in the numbers. Over the summer, Ukraine managed to increase the number of missiles it shot down, reaching 37 percent in August. But in September, with the adoption of Russia’s new technology and tactics, that rate fell to just six percent.
A Western official providing information about Patriot performance data said that a ‘pattern’ emerged in which incoming missiles behaved differently in the ‘final stage’. Fabian Hoffmann, a missile researcher at the University of Oslo, said manufacturers routinely mine intercept data to improve performance, and Russia does this before making software tweaks that improve the performance of its missiles.
This change reflects Russia’s increasing ability to gradually learn from its mistakes, often only after terrible losses. This would also be a concern for some NATO countries that rely on the Patriot system for missile defense.
However, Ukraine has also demonstrated its agility in adapting and overcoming many challenges in the war that has raged for more than three years and seven months.
