Russian military destroys German-made IRIS-T system in Ukraine (VIDEO)

2 May, 2024 20:54 / Updated 8 months ago
The medium-range anti-aircraft system was neutralized in a high-precision strike, footage shows

The Russian Defense Ministry released a drone video on Thursday showing a strike on a German-supplied IRIS-T anti-aircraft system in Ukraine.

The system was discovered at a remote location near the village of Ostroverkhova, the Defense Ministry said, apparently referring to a settlement in Ukraine’s Kharkov Region.

The components of the system, identified as a command-and-control vehicle and a launcher, were covered with a masknet, drone footage shows.

The location was hit by two unspecified projectiles, presumably high-precision munitions fired by a Tornado-S system, widely regarded as a Russian analogue to US-made HIMARS multiple rocket launchers. Tornado-S systems have increasingly seen action in recent months, being used by Russian troops for strikes on high-value Ukrainian military assets.

The strike obliterated both the command-and-control vehicles as well as the launcher. It also caused a secondary detonation of ammunition at the site and sparked a fire at a nearby building, identified by the Russian military as a storage depot.

Germany has been supplying IRIS-T systems to Kiev since late 2022, with multiple units already destroyed during hostilities.