The Russian Defense Ministry said that it is trying to find out which eastern European countries provided Kyiv with "Igla" portable air defense systems, amid Ukrainian assurances that many of Russia's military vehicles have been destroyed and damaged since the start of its war on Ukraine.
In conjunction with Moscow’s announcement of its efforts to find out which country supplied Kyiv with that system, it also announced the destruction of 4 command centers, 63 weapons depots, 3 air defense systems, and the downing of 3 Ukrainian drones during the 16th day of its war in Ukraine.
What is the Igla system made by Russia and facing its dangers in Ukraine?
Igla System
The Igla is a shoulder-fired surface-to-air missile developed by the former Soviet Union in the 1970s, and the first version of these missiles entered service with the Soviet Army in 1981.
This missile adopts an effective system against radar jamming, and it travels at about 320 meters per second.
The Igla is guided by an infrared and ultraviolet system, and is equipped with an intelligent system that distinguishes the aircraft's fingerprint to avoid interference.
The effective range of Igla missiles ranges between 500 and 5200 meters.
According to the Russian Sputnik website, there are copies of this missile, the first of which is “Igla 1” and the latest is “Verba”, which is a new generation of those missiles, including Igla 1, Igla 1E, Igla SA, Igla D, Igla V, Igla N, Igla S .
The "Igla-S" has been developed to have a range of 6 kilometers, and it works with a fully digital system, which allowed the weight of its explosive head to be increased to 2.5 kilograms, and the weight of the missile is about 15 kilograms. to ensure it explodes.
According to Russian media, the "Igla-S" is one of the most powerful man-portable air defense missiles that can shoot down all types of aircraft flying at altitudes ranging from 10 meters to 3.5 km, and from a distance of up to 6 km.
The weight of the missile by means of launch does not exceed 19 kg, and it can be prepared in launch mode within 13 seconds, and it is re-prepared for launch in only 5 seconds, according to the "Russia Today" website.