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Ukrainian ATGM Utilized to Defeat Russian Armor
Published 2 years ago
Members of a Ukrainian anti-armor hunter-kill team utilize what appears to be a Stugna-P ATGM system to destroy a piece of Russian armor.
At this time, it is unclear exactly where this specific ATGM strike occurred. Hunter-killer teams are being heavily utilized by Ukrainian forces to dampen the Russian's ability to conduct freedom of movement operations in Eastern Ukraine. Some of these strikes are taking place behind enemy lines, while others are being conducted as Russian forces attempt to maneuver out and extend their own lines of combat in certain regions.
We can tell that this specific strike is a Stugna-P due to the angle in which the missile leaves the system. The Stugna-P is not a wire-guided ATGM like the BGM-71 TOW. Instead, it utilizes a beam to guide the missile into the target. As a result, it is not uncommon for the Stugna-P to impact with the ground when the beam is obstructed by an obstacle in between the point of origin and the target. In this video, we can see the shooter compensating for that by aiming high, which is a sign of experience in the employment of this specific ATGM system. This technique gives the operator time to adjust fire should the missile start to dive before reaching the target.
