Germany will transfer large number of Sidewinder missiles from its stockpiles to Ukraine, - Pistorius
Germany will transfer Sidewinder missiles to Ukraine to strengthen its air defense. They can be used from helicopters or fighter jets.
As reported by Censor.NET with a link to "European Truth," this was announced by German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius at the opening of the meeting of the Contact Group on Defense Issues of Ukraine (Ramstein format).
"Next year, we will provide a large number of Sidewinder missiles from our stockpiles to strengthen Ukraine's air defense," Pistorius said.
It is noted that these are air-to-air missiles that can be used from helicopters or fighter jets against enemy aircraft or drones.
What preceded it?
It should be noted that such missiles have already been transferred to Ukraine by the United States. Ukrainian specialists converted these missiles, designed for F-16 fighter jets, into surface-to-air missiles for the needs of Ukrainian air defense.
"We reworked them. We found a way to launch them from the ground. It's a kind of homemade air defense system," a source told the Financial Times in 2023. According to him, this is one example of how seemingly obsolete equipment has been converted into usable weapons.
Earlier, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced that Germany had delivered two Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine, as promised in August, as well as a ninth IRIS-T system.
