By Natali Moss
According to Defense Express observers, the feature of this event was that X-59 was destroyed using the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System or Apkws. This is probably the first publicly recorded case of the use of this weapon to destroy such a rocket, analysts said. APKWS is a high-precision weapon that combines the unmanaged 70mm Hydra 70 missile with a semi-active laser-active unit.
The system is designed to defeat goals such as armored vehicles, light armored vehicles, shelters, drones and more. In this case, the firing range reaches 5 km when launching from the ground and up to 11 km when launched from the air. The features of the system include: for the first time about the transfer of these missiles to Ukraine in 2023, and their first use in combat conditions against Russian drones of ShahED was shown in the summer of that year.
These missiles are used as a Vampire missile installations, specially ordered for the Armed Forces at L3harris Technologies. In total, 14 such installations were delivered as part of defense assistance. The first four systems arrived six months after order. "Given that Ukraine's defense forces today are experiencing remedies for hostile rockets and drones, the supply of more Vampire missile installations and missiles could be a great strengthening of our air defense defense," experts summed up.
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