Groups of Ukrainian soldiers armed with shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles often hide at the edges of forests or urban buildings and suddenly attack Russian helicopters flying over.
In addition to the large motorized missile systems supported by the West, Ukrainian soldiers also used many 9K38 Igla man-portable air defense missiles from the Soviet era to attack Russian helicopters.
As soon as the helicopters of the Russian army came within range, the Ukrainian soldiers opened fire. The proof is that all types of Russian helicopters launched into the Ukrainian battlefield were shot down by shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles.
The Ukrainian side said that up to now, nearly 200 Russian helicopters of all kinds have been shot down since February 24, but Moscow has not commented on this information.
In the opposite direction, Russia said that it had also eliminated many Ukrainian helicopters and fighter jets in the battle.
Even Russia said it has weakened 80% of the capacity of the Ukrainian air force. However, Kiev denies this.
This type of missile is designated by NATO as SA-18 “Grouse”, which means nasty.
9K38 Igla has 2 versions, the first is the 9K310 Igla-1 version, which is designated by NATO as “Gimlet”. The second version is the 9K38 Igla-S with many outstanding improvements that make them a nightmare for low-altitude aircraft.
9K38 Igla-S is currently in service with the Russian Federation Army since 2004 and is still in use today as a man-portable missile system (MANPADS). Currently, Strela-3 and 9K38 Igla-S are the two most modern man-portable air defense missiles in service with the Russian military.
They are also being used by Russian soldiers in the special military operation in Ukraine.
