From Afghanistan to Ukraine: Is US-provided ATACMS leading to Russia's ‘Stinger-missile-moment’ in 2023?
An Afghan mujahideen seen with FIM-92 Stinger Missile alongside
Russia is estimated to have lost 14 helicopters during strikes by Ukraine through the US-provided Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) this week, British defence ministry claimed. The announcement reflects the game-changer role that the missile system may play for Ukraine, mirroring the successful role played byUS-provided Stinger missiles to the Afghan Mujahideen in the 1980s during Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
The ATACMS and Stinger missiles, however, are two different kind of air weapons but their potential to turn the dynamics of a conflict during a frontline impasse shows initial similarities.
ATACMS are capable of reaching targets 100 miles or more away, whereas an FIM-92 Stinger is a human-portable air-defence system that operates as an infrared homing surface-to-air missile.It can be adapted to fire from a wide variety of ground vehicles, and from helicopters as the Air-to-Air Stinger.
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According to anestimate published by Air Defence Artillery platform, Afghan Mujahideen during the 1980sused Stingers to shoot down 269 aircraft out of 340 engagements, with a 79 per cent success rate.
On Friday (Oct 20), the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) said in its intelligence update that while the extent of damage is currently unconfirmed, it is likely nine Russian military helicopters at Berdyansk and five at Luhansk were destroyed.
Earlier this week, the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Kyiv used the ATACMS to attack Russian airfields in Luhansk region and the port city of Berdyansk in the Zaporizhzhia region on Tuesday.
The Kremlin is yet to react on the reports of the strikes but on Wednesday Russian President Vladimir Putin, whilst in Beijing,called the US delivery of ATACMS missiles to Ukraine "another mistake by the United States."
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"War is war," Putin said. "And, of course, I have said that [ATACMS] pose a threat. It goes without saying. But what counts most is that they are completely unable to drastically change the situation along the line of contact. It's impossible."
What does it mean?
According to the British defence officials cited in the Newsweek, it is expected that the losses of the helicopters will impact Moscow's ability to defend its assets in the contested territories and its ongoing scale of offence against Ukraine.
"Given that Russian fixed wing close air support to date has been extremely poor, Russian defensive lines have become increasingly reliant on rotary wing support in the face of the Ukrainian offensive," the ministry's intelligence update said.
"Berdyansk was being used as a primary Forward Operating Base on the southern axis providing both logistics and offensive/defensive capabilities."
"Given the current strain on Russian military production, the confirmed loss of any air frames will be difficult to replace in the short to medium term," the British MOD said.
"This loss will also likely create additional pressure on Russia's pilots and air frames, already almost certainly suffering combat exhaustion and maintenance issues due to the unanticipated protracted campaign," it said.
Moscow has lost 324 of its 899 military helicopters since the beginning of war in Ukraine, according to figures cited by the General Staff of Ukraine's armed forces.
(Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on Ukraine-Russia war on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.)
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