File image.
On April 1, a video showing a Ukrainian soldier targeting a Russian warplane, allegedly a Su-34 fighter bomber, with a US-made FIM-92 Stinger man-portable air-defense system (MANPADs) in an unspecified region of Ukraine surfaced online.
While some Ukrainian sources said that the Russian warplane was hit, others went all the way to claim that it was shot down. The video itself shows no sign of any hit.
Reportedly video of a Ukrainian soldier firing a Stinger MANPADS at a Russian aircraft. The source claims a Su-34. https://t.co/7IzwIh4LGw pic.twitter.com/OzRz44rWMZ
— Rob Lee (@RALee85) April 1, 2022
The Stinger anti-aircraft missile, which is guided by infrared homing, has a targeting range of up to 4,800 meters and can engage low altitude aerial targets at up to 3,800 meters. The missile’s short range limits its ability to engage high-speed, maneuverable aerial targets like fighter jets. The guidance system in the older versions of the missile are also vulnerable to counter measures, such as flares and laser-based infrared jamming systems.
Ukraine first received Stinger MANPADs from Latvia and Lithuania before the beginning of the Russian special military operation on February 24.
After the start of the operation, the US, Denmark, Germany, Italy and the Netherland joined in and supplied hundreds of Stinger missiles to Ukrainian government forces.
The Russian military has been working nonstop to hunt down Western weapons shipments to Ukraine, especially those that include Stinger MANPADs. Some Stinger missiles have been already captured by the Russian military as well as the armed forces of the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Luhansk People’s Republic, according to some reports.
Despite numerus claims by Ukrainian forces, there is still no evidence confirming that any Russian warplane was shot down with Stinger MANPADs.
