Patriot deliveries to Ukraine mean they won't just be about creating an air defense zone. The Patriot systems will be critical in protecting Ukraine against cruise and ballistic missiles, as well as aircraft. In addition, they will allow Ukrainian forces to hit targets at long range.
The goal of the allies, but especially the US, is to help Ukraine strengthen its multi-layered air defense. The Patriot will complement the range of medium and short range weapon systems.
Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak made it clear in an interview with Spanish media that the first American Patriot air defense systems have already been delivered to Ukraine.
Neither official Kiev nor Washington have confirmed or denied this information. To recall, the US promised to provide Ukraine with the Patriot anti-missile defense system. Washington officially announced their transfer ahead of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi's visit to the US in December 2022.
The Patriot systems are the most expensive weapon that the United States has decided to transfer to Ukraine. According to estimates, the total cost of a Patriot system could reach $1 billion: $400 million for equipment and $690 million for missiles.
The MIM-104 Patriot anti-aircraft missile system was adopted by the US military in the early 1980s. Its latest modification, called the PAC-3, is designed to engage and intercept targets at an altitude of up to 24 km.
The main feature of the latest modification of the Patriot air defense system, is its ability to shoot down ballistic missiles (including Iskander, which the Russian Federation is using to attack Ukraine), as well as Daggers (the Russian Federation's hypersonic air-to-air missile) and Zircons (Russian Federation supersonic anti-ship missile).
The Patriot uses advanced interceptor missiles and highly effective radar systems. The main functions of the system are four:
- Contact,
- command and control,
- radar surveillance,
- missile guidance.
The facilities are highly mobile and a system can be deployed in less than an hour and system components are moved on trucks or trailers.
A Patriot PAC-3 launcher is designed for 4 MIM-104 missiles of various types, GEM-T (enhanced guidance missiles) or 16 ERINT missiles (long-range interceptor missiles). At the same time, up to 8 launchers can be included in a Patriot system.
The average range of use of a Patriot launcher is 150 km. The air defense system can track targets at a speed of up to 2200 m/s at a distance of up to 180 km.
Other important features of the Patriot air defense system:
- target tracking range - up to 180 km.
- target interception range - up to 80 km.
- Target interception height - up to 24 km.
It should be noted that Russia called the decision to transfer Patriot systems to Ukraine a "provocative step" and the Kremlin declared them a legitimate military target. The supply of Patriot systems to Ukraine "will lead to a prolongation of the conflict", Putin has said.
