Ukraine's Defense Ministry has announced the approval of a domestic laser simulator for training operators of the FIM-92 Stinger. It is a man-portable air-defense system for use in the Armed Forces.
Western Stinger stocks are aging, and specific components are in short supply, creating replenishment difficulties across the US and allies, according to The Defense Post. Ukraine has used Stingers from the first days of the full-scale war to bring down Russian helicopters, low-flying aircraft, and increasingly Shahed drones. A simulator that fires no live rounds lets crews drill without spending one.
Simulator can be set up in about ten minutes
The device replicates the combat Stinger's weight, dimensions, and operating algorithms, the Ministry said, and lets operators run through the full sequence of combat work — target detection, lock-on, tracking, launch, and engagement.
The drones are used as targets to imitate the range of aerial threats, from drones and cruise missiles to fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters.
The system automatically evaluates each pass — how quickly the operator detected the target, the accuracy of aiming, and whether the launch was correct — and instructors then adjust the training accordingly. The Ministry said the simulator can be set up in about ten minutes and works in field conditions across different weather.
Why does it matter?
Full Stinger training otherwise consumes considerable resources: actual missiles, power units, and wear on the launchers themselves. With supply constrained and each round costly, the operational logic is to keep the live rounds for combat.
The approval lands as Ukrainian air defense crews face sustained pressure from adapting Russian drone tactics, including online-controlled Shaheds hunting air defense positions and modified Geran-2 drones mounting old Soviet R-60 air-to-air missiles to target the helicopters and aircraft intercepting them.
