The first U.S.-donated Avenger air defense systems have arrived in Ukraine.
According to Militarnyi, Ukrainian air defense forces have received the first batch of AN/TWQ-1 Avenger short-range air defense systems.
In total, it is expected that Ukraine may receive 12 such anti-aircraft missile systems from the United States.
The 1980s-era Avenger is a turreted, self-propelled, surface-to-air missile system mounted on a 4×4 chassis. It has a range of 285 miles and provides mobile, short-range air defense protection for ground units against a variety of threats including cruise missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles, low-flying/fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters.
The turret has two Stinger missile launcher pods, each capable of firing up to 4 fire-and-forget infrared/ultraviolet guided missiles in rapid succession.
The Avenger can be linked to the Forward Area Air Defense Command, Control, Communications and Intelligence (FAAD C3I) system, which permits external radar tracks and messages to be passed to the fire unit to alert and cue the gunner.