Ukrainians can now use an app to report Russian anti-aircraft missiles

Russian missile strikes are causing problems in Ukraine. Some cannot be detected by radar. But now smartphones and civilians are being used. With an app, approaching Russian missiles can be reported. Now missiles have probably been shot down for the first time after an app message.

What is this app?

The app is called ePPO and stands for electronic air defense. It can be downloaded to Android and Apple devices, an account is then created and activated through the government digital services portal. The app was developed by a group of Ukrainian IT experts known as the Technari Group. It is supported by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense.

The app has been in development since May. One of the programmers, Gennadiy Suldin, states that there was support from the Ukrainian army and that, for example, the Southern Military Command is already using it. The app can now be used against drones.

does this work?

Suldin has now reported on Facebook about the app’s first combat use against a Russian Kalibr cruise missile on Oct. 22. “The Kalibr flew at a very low altitude, because of the characteristics of the terrain it was difficult to see. But some vigilant citizens saw them and alerted the military through the ePPO app. Our paratroopers had the target in seconds, had enough time and had no problems getting the Kalibr out of the sky.”

Military command confirms successes

The app can also be used against drones. Here too were the first successes: “On October 25, two Shahed-136 were destroyed using our ePPO calculations,” the programmer wrote. “South Air Command soldiers are already using data from ePPO users and have the first results,” Ukraine’s South Command confirmed on Facebook.

The operation is very simple: After users see a missile, they open the app and use the icon to select what type of attacker it is: missile, drone, or aircraft. You then aim the phone at the target and press a big red button. In the case of anti-aircraft fire, a marker flashes on an electronic map. The attack is re-verified by the military, after which defensive measures are announced.

Which missiles are launched?

A Russian Kalibr missile flies at about 800 km/h, a Shahed Drone-136 drone about 200 km/h. Since these are usually fired from Russian territory outside the Ukrainian border, there is plenty of flying time for a sighting. Small missiles in particular are difficult for air defense systems to locate, especially when flying under the radar. The German Iris-T system, supplied to Ukraine, can fire at targets up to 20 kilometers high and 40 kilometers range.

The Ukrainian army says it has shot down more than 300 Iranian Shahed-136 Kamikaze drones since mid-September. Air Force spokesman Yuri Ihnat told journalists in Kiev on Friday. It is believed that Russia has ordered 2,400 such drones.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia has carried out more than 8,000 airstrikes and fired 4,500 missiles. According to him, the capital Kiev has repelled 23 drones in the past two days.

sources

(dsc/t online)