Netherlands announces new Patriot missile system delivery to Ukraine

The Netherlands and another unnamed country intend to deliver another Patriot system to Ukraine. This is invaluable support for the army fighting against Russia, which has been grappling with shortages of air defense systems for months.

The Dutch portal NL Times first reported the information about the additional Patriot system for Ukraine. Its journalists refer to a declaration made by Dutch Defence Minister Kajsa Ollongren. She confirmed that the Netherlands, in collaboration with another country, could "assemble a complete missile system from various components."

Thus, it turns out the Netherlands has implemented a plan announced some time ago. The local authorities invited countries that did not have complete Patriot complexes but could allocate at least some components or missiles from their resources to cooperate. Kajsa Ollongren did not disclose which country helped assemble the Patriot system for Ukraine. She believes its authorities should announce this themselves but is not convinced they will do so, as they may wish to remain anonymous.

Patriot is a surface-to-air missile and missile defence system manufactured by American Raytheon. The system comprises several elements—a launcher, command post, and phased-array radar—responsible for detecting targets.

Because they are mounted on vehicle platforms, they provide high mobility. The weapon is even more valued for its effectiveness in combating enemy targets. Patriot can handle objects located up to around 160 kilometres (approximately 100 miles) away and move at altitudes up to 25 kilometres (approximately 15 miles).

Kajsa Ollongren also commented on the recent decision of the Romanian authorities, who allocated a Patriot system to Ukraine from their resources. This is "very good news" because air defence is crucial for Ukraine and allows it to withstand successive waves of Russian attacks.

Recently, Italy also offered Ukraine assistance in air defence, which will hand over another SAMP/T system, and the United States is preparing an aid package that includes hundreds of missiles for the Patriot and NASAMS air defence systems.