Anti-drone "gun trucks," a Patriot Battery, Stinger missiles

The DOD announced another aid round to Ukraine, including even more advanced air defense systems. Included from April are 9 c-UAS gun trucks with ammunition and 10 mobile c-UAS laser-guided rocket systems. These are pickup trucks with gun or rocket systems mounted in the back capable of rapidly targeting military drones.

Ukraine’s air defense systems are state of the art and getting better

As of June 2023, Ukraine has received millions of rounds of anti-air munition and 10 platform systems for taking out different aircraft types. Ukraine is expected to have deployed the field advanced air systems from the US stockpile, including:

stinger rmp block 1 ito15 20180604 — 1,700 shoulder Stinger missiles, these are infrared homing missiles fired by individual soldiers

patriot air battery defense system — Patriot Air Battery Defense System a modern system composed of radar, firing bases, and maintenance teams. Patriot Systems, including Russia’s most advanced missiles (This system has shot down the Sarmat), can take down aircraft and ballistic missiles.

nasams — 8 NASAMS are smaller than Patriot Defense Systems but work on many of the same principles. One key factor in Ukraine is that these anti-air systems use air-to-air missiles, with which NATO has large stockpiles.

jgsdf mim 23 hawk sam 20140429 01 — HAWK Air Defense Systems is a mobile anti-air system designed to engage several aircraft at once (approach aircraft on a frontline). It’s an old system, but with upgrades, it’s simple and effective.

rim 7 missiles — RIM-7 missiles for shooting down anti-ship missiles. This is an intercept missile firing from a Rolling Airframe Missile launcher aboard USS Green Bay (LPD 20) Sept. 29, 2009, while off the coast of Hawaii.

avenger air defense system — 20 Avenger Air Defense systems – these are Jeeps with surface-to-air missile launchers on the back and are designed to be highly mobile.

An unspecified number of anti-aircraft guns

“Counter-air defense capability”

“Counter-unmanned aerial systems”

21 air surveillance radars

Northrop Grumman c-UAS gun trucks with ammunition, anti-aircraft guns mounted on the back of a pickup truck with precision targeting capability

BAE Systems 10 mobile c-UAS laser-guided rocket systems, a mobile anti-air system used to target drones with missile

Look at all these systems and the increasing effectiveness of the Ukrainian army at shooting down Russian missiles. You can see the strategic advantage around air space shifting slowly. Ukraine can deploy air defense outside its current control territory, allowing it to keep fighting on the ground.

Ukraine has consistently had a drone advantage, but Russia is trying to move quickly to copy. In that respect, the US has also given Ukraine a leg up with