Ukraine brings US-made Tempest air defense system into combat, footage suggests
The U.S.-made short-range Tempest surface-to-air missile system has entered combat in Ukraine, according to video footage recently released by the Air Force.
Ukraine's Air Force Command Center published video that shows the Tempest system repelling an attack in a New Year's post, without announcing or identifying the new weapon. The Ukrainian analyst group Vodohrai later reported that the footage depicts the Tempest in action.
The video shows a Tempest missile intercepting a Russian drone during an overnight aerial attack.
The U.S. defense company V2X debuted the Tempest platform at the 2025 Association of the United States Army (AUSA) exhibition in October, but the system's transfer to Ukraine was not publicly announced.
The Tempest surface-to-air missile system is designed to engage drones, helicopters, and low-flying aircraft in all weather conditions.
While V2X did not specify the type of interceptor missile during the AUSA exhibition, the Tempest likely uses the radar-guided AGM-114L Hellfire Longbow. Hellfire missiles typically carry a 9 kg (20-pound) warhead, powerful enough to destroy drones and minimize collateral damage from falling debris.
Ukraine has relied on Western-supplied air defense systems to counter Russian aerial attacks throughout the full-scale war. Complexes such as the Patriot, IRIS-T, NASAMS, and SAMP/T systems are capable of intercepting cruise and ballistic missiles, while e German-made Gepard and Skynex systems are primarily used to counter drones.
