US Colonel Rosanna Clemente, assistant chief of staff of the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, stated that Ukraine’s Patriot systems are being utilized in various roles, with some protecting static sites while others are highly mobile and are used as a “SAMbush,” NewsWeek reported.
“They’re doing that with extremely mobile Patriot systems that were donated by the Germans, because the systems are all mounted on the trucks,” she revealed at the Fires Symposium event last month, adding that Ukraine used this tactic “to engage the first A-50 C2 [command and control] system back in January.”
As the A-50 aircraft was monitoring situation in the area, Ukrainian anti-air teams employed the mobile ‘SAMbush’ tactic, which involves rapidly deploying near the front and targeting enemy aircraft, to take it down.
"They have probably a #PATRIOT Bn [worth].. Some of this is being used to protect static sites.. others are being moved around and doing some really historic things..One of them is a #SAMbush.. stretching the very edges..to engage the first A-50 system back in Jan"
— AirPower 2.0 (MIL_STD) (@AirPowerNEW1) June 9, 2024
(????US Army) pic.twitter.com/GhB9btUvJn
Clemente highlighted the historic nature of this strike, stating, “I haven’t seen [anything like this] in 22 years of being an air defender.“
The downing of the A-50 marked the first time Ukraine has successfully engaged such a valuable Russian command and control asset with the advanced Patriot system.
"The German trainers woke up that Ukranian battery in the middle of the night and made them march order emplace, fight an air battle and..take off somewhere..A month later they conducted some of their first #SAMBUSH..shooting down SU-27's along the ???????? border." (????US Army) pic.twitter.com/HCkO31vYP5
— AirPower 2.0 (MIL_STD) (@AirPowerNEW1) June 9, 2024
A month later, Ukraine destroyed the second Russian A-50 radar plane, reportedly using a modified antiquated S-200 SAM system.
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