Ukraine Seeks More Patriot Air Defense Systems Amid Russian Threats
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has appealed to Western allies for increased support. He highlighted the urgent need to bolster the Ukrainian military with additional air defense systems, especially Patriots.
"Give us those damn Patriots. [...] If we had enough air defense systems, namely Patriots, we would be able to protect not only people's lives but also our economy from destruction," he appealed in an interview with Politico.
Ukrainians appeal for more Patriot launchers
The head of Ukrainian diplomacy pointed out the recent actions of the Russians, which have become a huge problem. This concerns the mass dropping of guided bombs. As analysts from DeepState have emphasized, the Ukrainian military "basically has no means of countering this weapon". Among the means of eliminating Russian bombers with such an arsenal are mainly F-16 fighters and the best air defense systems. Dmytro Kuleba specifically mentioned the American Patriots.
The first F-16s are expected to arrive in Ukraine this summer. Patriot system batteries have already reached the front lines as support from Germany and the USA and are performing very well. The problem is that there are far too few of them. Officially, there are only three batteries (unofficially, some sources indicate five), and additionally, the Russians have already managed to destroy part of the launchers that make up these systems.
"We need air defense systems on the front lines," emphasized Dmytro Kuleba, adding that without them, Ukrainians "lose ground."
Patriot proves effective in Ukraine
The Patriot is a ground-to-air missile system that provides anti-aircraft and missile defense, produced by the American company Raytheon. The system consists of a command post, radar, and launchers that are mounted on a vehicle platform. This solution provides high mobility, but the war in Ukraine has shown that this is only one of many advantages of this weapon.
Frederick Mertens, an analyst from the Hague Centre for Strategic Studies, stated in a recent conversation with Business Insider that the operation of Patriot systems in Ukraine is an "undeniable success." He particularly highlighted their effectiveness in shooting down Russian missiles and aircraft.
The Patriot can be used to intercept various types of targets. It is capable of shooting down not only aircraft and helicopters but also maneuvering missiles and ballistic missiles.
The maximum altitude of the targets it can engage is about 25 kilometres, and the range is up to 160 kilometres, although this depends not only on the type of target but also on the missiles used. More commonly used missiles have fragmentation warheads weighing 90 kg, while more advanced ones are equipped with kinetic warheads.
