Overview

• Ukraine's hybrid air-defense systems, known as 'FrankenSAMs', shot down a Russian 'suicide' drone, marking the first successful use of these systems.
• The FrankenSAMs are a combination of Ukraine's old Soviet-era equipment and Western-supplied missiles, including American RIM-7 Sea Sparrow missiles, AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, and Patriot missiles.
• The FrankenSAM project is a collaboration between the Pentagon and Ukraine, aimed at enabling Ukraine to counter Russia's strategy of bombarding key Ukrainian infrastructure with inexpensive exploding drones.
• The FrankenSAM systems were first reported in October and were already in use on the front lines by December, according to Ukraine's minister of strategic industries, Oleksandr Kamyshin.
• The Pentagon's technical cooperation with Ukraine is aimed at allowing for faster fielding of these systems and enabling Ukraine to significantly contribute to the sustainment of its air defense systems.