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Ukrainian forces have shot down a Russian attack helicopter using lightweight anti-aircraft weapons, according to Kyiv's military.
Kyiv's 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade said Monday that Ukrainian fighters targeted the aircraft using an Igla MANPADS (man-portable air defense system). The update said the helicopter then crashed near the Donetsk settlement of New York, close to the city of Horlivka in eastern Ukraine.
MANPADS have played an important role in Ukrainian air defense, having been provided by several countries in military aid packages since the early days of full-scale war in the country. They are used to target low-flying aircraft and other airborne systems, such as drones, and protect soldiers on the battlefield from attacking aircraft.
Newsweek has reached out to the Russian Defense Ministry for comment via email.
The Igla MANPADS is a Soviet and Russian system "designed to defeat all types of visible fixed- and rotary-winged aircraft," according to Russian state-owned defense exporter Rosoboronexport. The Igla-S, an improved version of the original, has a reported range of up to six kilometers, according to the state organization, and is ready for launch five seconds after activation.
The U.S. has provided its own MANPADS to Ukraine, sending more than 1,600 Stinger systems to Kyiv's forces as of May 21.
The arrival of newer MANPADS, such as the Stinger, "boosted Ukraine's already effective usage of its older systems such as the Soviet-developed 9K38 Igla," the German Marshall Fund of the United States think tank said back in April 2022.
MANPADS, typically carried by just one fighter, have proved effective for Ukrainian forces not just against low-flying Russian aircraft, but also against drone strikes launched across the country. In November 2022, the Royal United Services Institute think tank said more systems such as the German-made Gepard would help Ukraine "sustain and increase its ability" to intercept the Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones, and safeguard its power infrastructure.
MANPADs are usually made up of three parts, including a disposable carriage with a launch tube, which carries a missile, plus a power system and a trigger, or firing unit, according to the Australian government.
Ukraine has also previously shared footage on social media of what it said was the downing of Russian Mi-24 attack helicopters. Ukraine operates the Mi-24, also known by its Western reporting name Hind, in its own air force.
According to Dutch open-source outlet Oryx, Russia has lost six Mi-24 attack helicopters of various types since the outbreak of all-out war in February 2022. Russia has lost 295 helicopters since February 24, 2022, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces said in its daily update on Tuesday. Newsweek could not independently verify this count.
About the writer
Ellie Cook is a Newsweek security and defense reporter based in London, U.K. Her work focuses largely on the Russia-Ukraine ... Read more