Ukrainian FrankenSAM hybrid air defense systems have showed NATO's vulnerability to the Russian military, retired US Marine Colonel Mark Cancian has said in an interview with Business Insider.
"The FrankenSAMs fill a critical gap for Ukraine as its allies don't have enough ground-based air defenses to give," he explained.
According to Cancian, the use of this type of weapon by the Ukrainian military demonstrates the lack of sufficient ground-based air defense systems in North Atlantic Alliance countries, including the United States.
Systems like the NASAMS surface-to-air missile system "are a great system against cruise missiles and drones. The problem is we don't have a lot of them," he added.
Earlier, Sputnik reported on the impressive capabilities of Russia's air defense systems. The S-400 Triumf (NATO designation: SA-21 Growler) is a long-range mobile air defense system developed by the Russian defense corporation Almaz-Antey. This air defense system can operate in all weather conditions and engage and destroy a variety of airborne targets, including aircraft, cruise missiles, and medium-range ballistic missiles.
The S-400 can detect targets at a range of up to 600 kilometers and simultaneously engage multiple threats (up to 36) at a range of up to 400 kilometers, an altitude of up to 30 kilometers, and a speed of up to 4,800 meters per second.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly said that Russia has no geopolitical or economic interest in going to war with NATO countries.