Rare footage shows Stinger downing Kh-101 cruise missile

Ukraine's Joint Forces commander, Lieutenant General Serhiy Nayev, recently shared a video meeting with one of these air defense units on his social media profile, Defense Express reports. 

This elite mobile air defense team has been safeguarding Ukrainian skies. They scored two impressive hits in the last fortnight, intercepting a Shahed “kamikaze” drone and a Kh-101 cruise missile. You can witness the Kh-101's destruction by a Stinger MANPADS in the video's opening seconds (00:00-00:12).

The Kh-101 missile in question was destroyed during a terrorist missile attack on August 30. During this attack, Russian troops launched 28 Kh-101/Kh-555/Kh-55 cruise missiles, all of which were neutralized by Ukrainian air defense.

“Interestingly, one of the downed missiles had a peculiar serial number, where the quarter's '8' digit was oddly placed. This alteration may be an attempt by the invaders to obscure the true number of 'fresh' missiles in their arsenal,” the article notes. 

Regarding the mobile air defense teams, a team member revealed that their unit, responsible for downing the Kh-101 using a Stinger, consists of just four individuals. The team leader tracks missile sources and coordinates the MANPADS operator's actions.

These mobile air defense squads are versatile, equipped with various weapons and military gear, ranging from pickup trucks with machine guns to Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft guns and British Stormer air defense systems.