One of the German Air Defense Systems sent by Berlin to Ukraine cannot keep up with the Russian missile barrage. The first IRIS-T anti-aircraft missile sent this October has run out of missiles and needs replenishment after the attack on Ukrainian infrastructures.
German Air Defense System Pressured with Russian Missile Barrage
This anti-missile defense battery is needed by the Ukrainians reeling from the sheer number of missiles launched by Russian forces recently, reported Bulgarian Military.
The Ukrainian energy grid was one of the main targets of the Russian aerospace forces, who used surgical strikes to wreak havoc by robbing it of electricity and power. Missile assaults came as Kyiv sponsored an attack on the Kerch bridge in Crimea, which Putin warned should not be done, noted NBC News.
Moscow claimed that the Ukrainian security service carried out the bridge bombing and warned of retaliatory attacks on Ukraine, using both direct and indirect weaponry.
UAF Cannot Rely on Western-Supplied System
One of the Ukrainian officers said the IRIS-T defense battery is doing well, with videos capturing the shooting down of the Kalibr cruise missiles. Yury Ignat, the Ukrainian Air Force command spokesman, reaffirmed that it would be great if Ukraine had a few extra munitions for the IRIS-T, per Air Force Technology.
Ignat's statement was inconclusive if the UAF still has enough missiles for the battery. On the other hand, he warns that the weapon system will be ineffective because there are no missiles to fire back.
As the manufacturer of the missiles, Diehl Defense, has stated that they are aware of the issue and are working to fix it, there is a growing concern for the Ukrainian people.
The German company is actually in charge of planning and carrying out the additional projectiles for Kyiv, which seems accurate. Rockets are urgently needed, and the US and its allies cannot afford for Kyiv to fall. Another is Moscow's intention to demonstrate to Ukraine's western proxy that it will not relent with a ferocious missile attack. Some consider sending the US Patriot air defense systems in a last-ditch effort.
Ukraine Claims It Had the Upper Hand
The fact that IRIS-T continued to operate throughout Russian attacks may have contributed to how quickly the scales shifted in Ukraine's favor, according to reports. Diehl Defense contends that since the US Patriot engages threats at a higher maximum height. The IRIS-T system smoothly combines with it and sustains network access.
Nevertheless, a scarcity of missiles, which formally doesn't appear but is supposed to be quite possible soon, opens another dilemma. If Berlin is late with aspects of the IRIS-T missile to resupply Ukraine, another problem with spare parts might come soon. The UAF is getting to be a burden for its backers.
As with the German PzH 2000 howitzers whose problems arose from spare parts to excessive ammo use, the same is predicted to have a problem soon, mentioned Yahoo News.
The Ukrainian army is notorious for abusing weapons that have been raised. The UAF's use of the new German Air Defense System is running into a problem because the Russian missile barrage is too much on its missile stockpile.