What is the Patriot missile system the United States plans to send to Ukraine? – National
German Defense Secretary Boris Pistorius will discuss the possibility of Germany paying for Ukraine’s U.S. Patriot air defense system as he travels to Washington to meet with U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
On Sunday, U.S. President Donald Trump said the United States will send undisclosed patriots to Ukraine and the EU will pay the price for them.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy asked for more defense capabilities, including Patriot systems and missiles to withstand Russia’s daily missile and drone attacks.
Here are some key information about Patriots:
What is the Patriot System?
Patriot, the abbreviation of phased array tracking radar for target intercepts, is a mobile surface-to-air air defense system developed by Raytheon Technologies RTX.N.
It is considered one of the most advanced air defense systems in the United States, and has been in service since the 1980s.
Typical batteries include radar and control systems, power units, transmitters and support vehicles. The system can intercept aircraft, tactical ballistic missiles and cruise missiles based on the interceptor used.
How does Patriots work?
The system has different functions, depending on the type of interceptor used.
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The earlier PAC-2 interceptors used explosive debris warheads detonated near the target, while the PAC-3’s missile family used more accurate techniques to hit the target directly.
It is unclear which Patriot system has been donated to Ukraine, but it is likely that Kiev has at least some newer PAC-3 CRI interceptors.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) said the system has a radar range of more than 150 kilometers (93 miles).
Although the Patriots were not originally intended to intercept hypersonic weapons, whether Thor could confirm it, in May 2023, the United States confirmed that Ukraine had used it to shoot down Russia’s Kinzar missile, which Moscow claimed was a treble.
Thor said on its website that Patriots have intercepted 150 ballistic missiles in combat operations since January 2015.
According to its website, Thor has built and delivered more than 240 Patriot Fire Brigades.
According to Raytheon, these countries have been shipped to 19 countries, including the United States, Germany, Poland, Ukraine, Japan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
In January, Axios reported that the United States had transferred about 90 Patriot interceptors from Israel to Ukraine.
According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the cost of a newly produced single Patriot battery exceeds $1 billion, including $400 million for the system and $690 million for missiles in the battery.
CSIS said the Patriot’s interceptor is estimated at $4 million per missile.
Why does Ukraine want more patriots?
Kiev has been asking Western allies to provide more air defense measures to protect critical infrastructure and civilian areas from frequent Russian missiles and drones.
Although the Patriots effectively intercept missiles and aircraft, they are expensive ways to shoot down low-budget drones.
Nevertheless, Ukrainian officials say this is crucial in defending Russia’s escalating long-range attacks.
Russia said this regards Patriots as a direct escalation. Foreign Ministry spokesman Maria Zakharova said in May that providing Ukraine with more systems will delay peace.
–Reports by Isabel Demetz and Jesus Calero; Edited by Matt Scuffham
