Ukraine’s primary air defense systems are the Buk-M1 and S-300.
According to Ihnat, anti-aircraft guided missiles can shoot down both warplanes and cruise missiles.
Ukraine can shoot down the following types of missiles:
- Kalibr (3M14) - sea-launched cruise missiles
- Kh-101/Kh-555/Kh-55 - air-launched cruise missiles
- R-500 (9M728) - land-based cruise missile from the Iskander-K complex
- Kh-59 - air-to-ground guided missile
- Kh-35 - air-, sea-, or shore-based anti-ship missile
Ukraine cannot shoot down:
- Iskander-M - ballistic missiles 9M723
- Tochka-U
- Kh-22
- S-300/400/500 - anti-aircraft guided missiles
- P-800 Oniks - coastal-launched cruise missiles, usually targeting Odesa Oblast
- Kh-47 Kinzhal - hypersonic aerial ballistic missile
- Kh-31P - aviation anti-radar missile
Ihnat explained that these missiles fly along a ballistic trajectory and actually hit the target at high speed. Special anti-aircraft missile systems are needed to destroy them.
He also said that the Air Force has not shot down any of the 120 Kh-22 missiles that Russia has fired at Ukraine since the start of the full-scale war, although many have missed their targets.
"In order to shoot down the Kh-22, Ukraine needs an anti-aircraft missile system that can operate in automatic mode, i.e., make decisions without human intervention — with the latest radar and a modern missile," Ihnat said.
Such systems include the NASAMS and Iris-T, which should "be at the right time and place," as well as Patriot and FSAF SAMP/T.
According to the Air Force, over the past six months, Russia has consumed a huge strategic stockpile of missiles by striking Ukraine's critical infrastructure.
While Ukraine has sustained many hits, almost 700 [~85%] have been shot down.
Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said that since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the enemy has fired 821 missiles at Ukraine during 15 massive attacks.