Kh-22 & Oniks missiles: why Ukraine's Air Force can't stop them
Ukraine's air defense forces are unable to shoot down the Kh-22 and Oniks cruise missiles, which the Russian military have been using to attack the south in recent days, due to the peculiarities of their movement and launch, Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat said on Radio Liberty on July 20.
Ihnat said that Kh-22s fly at high speeds - over 4,000 km/h - and approach their target on a ballistic trajectory. In order to shoot them down, Ukraine needs Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems, of which Ukraine has only two divisions.
Read also: Four injured, administrative building destroyed in Odesa air raid
Oniks are anti-ship missiles that the Russians launch from the Bastion coastal complex in the territory of occupied Crimea.
They initially fly at high altitudes at a speed of over 3,000 km/h. When they approach their target, they descend rapidly to 10-15 meters.
Read also: Russia strikes Odesa, Mykolaiv, more than 20 injured
"They fly very low above the water surface," explained Ihnat.
“In this case, they [the Russians] use them against land targets, along the sea coast - Odesa, Mykolaiv. Thus, it is difficult to shoot down something that flies very low. It is difficult to detect it, let alone shoot it down.”
In the early hours of July 20, Russia launched another massive attack on Ukraine. The south was hit the hardest: in Mykolaiv, there was an attack on residential buildings, resulting in 19 wounded, including five children.
In Odesa, four people were wounded. In total, Russia launched 19 missiles and the same number of attack drones. Air defense systems shot down 18 enemy targets.
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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
