German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced today that Germany is about to transfer two Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine. The launchers will be handed over in the coming days, with the remaining components of the two systems to be delivered within the next two to three months.
In return, Germany will be prioritized to receive the new Patriot systems it has ordered from the US, without having to wait in line according to the contract order. The German military confirmed the decision to transfer two more Patriot systems to Ukraine will not affect its contribution to NATO's defense capabilities.
Ukrainian officials have not yet commented on the information.
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A German Patriot launcher crosses a river during an exercise in Norway in 10/2018. Photo: Heer |
A German Patriot launcher crosses a river during an exercise in Norway in 10/2018. Photo: Heer
The announcement comes as Ukraine's air defense needs become increasingly urgent. Russia has intensified and expanded its combined attacks using long-range unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and missiles against the country.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said that in July, Russia launched more than 5,100 glide bombs, over 3,800 Geran-2 long-range suicide UAVs, and nearly 260 missiles of various types at Ukraine, including 128 tactical ballistic missiles.
The Patriot is the most expensive weapon system that the US and its allies have provided to Ukraine. Each system costs nearly 1.1 billion USD, with missiles costing 690 million USD and other components about 400 million USD. A complete Patriot battery consists of a command vehicle, a fire control radar station, a generator truck, a communications station, and six to eight launchers.
Ukraine's Patriot systems are equipped with the most modern PAC-3 MSE missiles produced by the US, with a maximum range of 120 km against aircraft and 60 km against ballistic missiles.
US media in May, citing anonymous officials, reported that Ukraine possesses at least eight Patriot systems. Six of these are operational, and two are under repair. Ukraine has repeatedly praised the effectiveness of the Patriot system, emphasizing that it is the only weapon capable of countering Russia's Kinzhal hypersonic and Iskander-M tactical ballistic missiles.
However, the Patriot's intercept rate in Ukraine is declining due to dwindling missile and launcher supplies. Several batteries have also been attacked and destroyed by Russia. Russia is also continuously upgrading its Iskander-M ballistic missiles, making the Patriot system less effective than Ukraine had hoped.
Nguyen Tien (According to AFP, Reuters, AP)
