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reality check:

There is no shortage of ways to shoot down the drone threat, but there may be a question of using the right interceptors and not wasting costly interceptors on drones.

For instance, Russia is using dozens of drones in attacks and Ukraine is already downing upwards of 60%-80% of them; so Kyiv is doing well in this regard.

Considering the fact that Israel’s Iron Dome has a stated 90% success rate in recent attempts to stop rockets from Gaza, Ukraine is already achieving impressive rates in its air defenses.

This means the best way to defend against drones is to have the right detection systems to warn about their approach, warn residents in the targeted areas and then be able to use command and control and other systems to find the best and, if possible, most efficient and cost-effective interceptor along the route of the drone.

The overall issue now is making sure Ukraine has the kind of multi-layered integrated air defenses it needs. This can mean shoulder-launched Stinger missiles and also S-300s among the plethora of air defenses Ukraine has, some of which have origins in the West and others in the Soviet era. For instance, the S-300 is a Russian system and other countries in Eastern Europe have them.

France has also said it will provide air defenses to Ukraine. “Speaking in an interview on France 2 television, Macron did not detail what type of anti-aircraft missiles or how many would be delivered,” France 24 noted. “Paris has previously supplied Mistral shoulder-launched anti-aircraft missiles to Ukraine. A source aware of the matter said Paris would provide Crotale short-range anti-air missiles, which are used to intercept low-flying missiles and aircraft.”

As Western countries rush air defenses to Ukraine, there are other pressing needs. Ukraine needs the radars and command and control necessary to detect the threats and neutralize them with the best systems possible, as well as for warning civilians to go to shelters.

https://www.jpost.com/international/article-719884