Ukraine Deployed 21 Hellfire Missiles on Ground Vehicles in January

Ukrainian air defence units are operating ground vehicles fitted with laser-guided American Hellfire missiles.

Yurii Ihnat, head of the communications department for the Air Force Command, disclosed the deployment strategy during a podcast appearance with RBC-Ukraine. He stated that military planners assign specific countermeasures to different operational zones to maximize effectiveness against Russian aerial threats.

"We have different systems, the FrankenSAM systems and there are vehicles with laser-guided Hellfire missiles," Ihnat said. He did not specify the exact models of vehicles used, the total number of units in service, or the specific missile variants installed on these platforms.

Ihnat explained that fixed air defence assets are positioned near cities and key infrastructure. In these areas, teams use man-portable air defence systems to protect localities. Conversely, aviation assets operate in sectors where ground-based air defence is inactive to prevent friendly fire incidents between Ukrainian aircraft and their own defence systems.

The commander also noted that electronic warfare equipment plays a role in degrading Russian drone capabilities. He cited instances where Ukrainian forces destroyed drones using assault rifles, though he described these events as rare. Each asset is deployed where it offers the highest probability of success.

Ukrainian forces previously reported using American Tempest mobile surface-to-air missile systems equipped with two AGM-114L Longbow Hellfire missiles. In January 2026, soldiers reported shooting down 21 Russian Shahed drones using these specific systems.