DRAGON Air Defense System Integrated Into Ukraine’s Air Defense Network

Standardized Ukrainian DRAGON air defense systems have already been deployed to protect Ukraine’s airspace.

A representative of the Center of Innovative Technologies Program told Militarnyi about this.

“DRAGON has been integrated into the armed forces and used on the battlefield for a year and a half now,” the company reported.

In particular, the air defense system is being used to destroy Russian Shahed-type drones.

The DRAGON launcher is equipped with three air-to-air missiles featuring infrared homing heads.

Initially, the system used only R-73 air-to-air missiles.

After the system was modernized, American AIM-9M missiles began to be installed on it.

In the future, plans call for adding the new Ukrainian ST-100 anti-aircraft missile and R-60 missiles to the arsenal.

“The R-60 can engage targets at ranges of up to 6.5 km. Ukraine has significant stockpiles of these missiles,” said a company representative.

Work is also underway on integrating the AIM-9X Sidewinder missile.

The DRAGON is controlled via a remote control using a wired communication channel or through a Starlink satellite terminal.

Taras Chmut, director of the Come Back Alive Foundation, said on X that the first DRAGON systems were ordered back in 2023.