Why Ukraine’s Infantry Needs the Stinger Now More Than Ever

US Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Keylan Suttles, right, and Cpl. Cody Gath, both low altitude air defense (LAAD) Gunners, with 2nd LAAD, Marine Air Control Group-28, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, fires a FIM-92A stinger missile at a training unmanned aerial vehicle in Sweden, Sept. 6, 2024. The Marines of 2nd LAAD demonstrated for the first time in nearly 20 years in Sweden the man-portable missile’s capabilities. (US Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Scott Jenkins) Public domain

Russia has a new Shahed tactic, and it’s ugly.

Not subtle, not stealthy, just brutally effective.

Instead of skimming low under radar like they did last year, Shahed drones are now cruising at over 8,000 feet and diving straight down onto their targets like budget Stukas. Picture a flying lawnmower with a 90-pound warhead doing a kamikaze nosedive from two kilometers up, too fast and too high for a pickup-mounted .50 cal to do anything but watch.

This isn’t speculation, it’s confirmed by both Ukraine’s Air Force and frontline defenders like Oleksiy, a deputy commander in Kyiv’s Territorial Defense Forces.

His mobile fire group is tasked with protecting infrastructure and civilians, and until recently, their weapon of choice, a truck-mounted M2 Browning, or “Technical,” was doing the job.

But now? It’s a glorified observation tool.

The drones are not only flying higher, they’re flying faster; Russia’s latest Shahed mods reportedly push past 180 mph, with newer versions projected to hit 370+ mph and a range of 1,550 miles.

Oh, and they’re showing up in numbers. Last weekend alone, Russia launched 273 drones in one wave, many of them decoys designed to burn out Ukraine’s limited interceptor…