Several Western countries announced their support for Ukraine with quantities of weapons to help it confront the Russian invasion. Yesterday, Saturday, Germany authorized the delivery of 1,000 anti-tank missiles, 500 surface-to-air missiles "Stinger" and 9 howitzers. France also decided to deliver military equipment, and Belgium confirmed the provision of 2,000 machine guns. The Netherlands reported that yesterday it sent high-precision rifles and helmets, and pledged to secure 200 "Stinger" missiles, while the Czechs will send 4,000 artillery shells, and thousands of rifles and ammunition, and other countries pledged to send protective jackets and night vision goggles. The United States also delivered to Ukraine, prior to the Russian attack, a shipment of Stinger missiles and ammunition that arrived through Lithuania.
The name "Stinger" missile has emerged a lot recently with the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine, so what is its military importance:
The Stinger missile is a shoulder-fired air defense system, which is an infrared-guided surface-to-air missile, manufactured by the American Raytheon Company since 1978 and entered into service in the US Army in 1981.
its specifications
The length of the missile is 1.52 meters, its diameter is 70 mm, its weight is 15.7 kg, and it has a range of 5 km. The warhead of the missile has a weight of 3 kg, and its speed is supersonic. The propulsion system of the solid-fuel rocket engine works with a separate booster for the first stage of the trajectory. The missile was designed to help ground forces deal with low-flying planes and helicopters, as the missile was equipped with an infrared tool to track the engine exhaust heat and hit the target.
The missile is equipped with a proximity valve, meaning that it does not require a direct collision with the target in order to explode, but it can explode at a distance of about 6 meters from it. In 2019, the US military made modifications to the “Stinger”, so it was able to destroy drones with direct hits, or by detonating near them, and lasers were used to direct it. The Stinger system can be used against cruise missiles, and it poses a great threat to warplanes, especially helicopters, because of its ability to shoot down those planes on the battlefield. It is noteworthy that in the last century, the United States supplied Afghan fighters with Stinger missiles, which contributed to the downing of about 270 Soviet aircraft.
Source: News 24
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