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I have read Wikipedia articles about the war in Afghanistan, and it is often said that the Stinger had a great impact on the air mobility of the Soviet military.

Beside the role of interdiction (A2AD) of the helicopters to go to the mountains and deliver assault and special troops, did the American-built missile destroy or damage a lot of airplanes and helicopters?

What sort of technologies and tactics did the Soviet Union deploy to avoid being shot down?

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  • $\begingroup$ It did have an impact for sure, the soviet helicopter pilots started flying so high that soldiers nicknamed them "cosmonauts"! $\endgroup$
    – GdD
    May 8, 2019 at 8:44
  • $\begingroup$ The introduction of the Stinger into the conflict meant that the Soviet Mi24 attack helicopters could no longer operate with the near impunity they had in the early stages. They had to adopt new tactics, flying either high or very low and fast. $\endgroup$
    – J. Southworth
    May 14, 2019 at 9:39

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This quotes an estimate of 269 aircraft, but I think its hard to find the exact number:

Kuperman, Alan J. “The Stinger Missile and U.S. Intervention in Afghanistan.” Political Science Quarterly, vol. 114, no. 2, 1999, pp. 219–263.

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