After much hesitation, the US is reacting to the Russian missile and drone warfare against Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure. With Patriot, Kyiv will receive one of the most powerful anti-aircraft systems. However, it may be months before it is ready for use.
Patriot anti-missiles are launched from a mobile launcher and can hit enemy planes, missiles, or drones up to 100 miles away.
US President Joe Biden has long resisted the delivery of Patriot anti-aircraft systems to Ukraine. In view of the precarious energy supply in the war-torn country, he nevertheless agreed to the transfer and will announce this help on Wednesday at the same time as a surprisingly announced visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. This was announced by the White House.
The Patriot radar can Acquire up to fifty targets and fight five at a time. However, by the time the highly complex device can be operated and maintained by Ukrainian soldiers themselves, the coldest time of winter will already be over. The training, which is expected to last several months, is to take place in a third country, according to unconfirmed reports in Germany. For the time being, the transfer only includes a single Patriot battery. Such a launch consists of up to eight mobile launch pads, each with four defense missiles.
Personnel-intensive and only available to a limited extent
Zelensky had been begging for the delivery of Patriot anti-missiles for months. It was to be expected that Moscow would weaponize the winter and attack Ukraine’s civil energy supply. Despite this, the American government was reluctant to deliver one of its most modern anti-aircraft systems to Kyiv for various reasons.
Government circles in Washington have repeatedly said that the delivery of Patriot missiles with a range of up to 160 kilometers could lead to a further escalation of the war. Practical counter-arguments were more important: the anti-aircraft system is complicated and only available in limited quantities. True, to launch a Patriot missile, 3 people are enough. But it takes 90 soldiers to maintain a battery in the long term. The hardware includes a radar station, an antenna mast, a power generator and a command vehicle in addition to the mobile launch pads. Patriot mechanic training lasts over a year.
An immediate delivery to Ukraine would therefore have required the stationing of American soldiers in the war zone. Biden always categorically ruled this out. Even the American armed forces only have 15 Patriot battalions of four batteries each – so-called Fire Units. The United States relocated three of these units to Poland and Slovakia in April. Other NATO countries such as Germany, the Netherlands, Greece and Spain also have Patriot missiles. The Dutch and the Germans have also sent Patriot units to Slovakia in the springso that Bratislava could launch its Soviet S-300 anti-aircraft missiles could deliver to Ukraine.
In order to protect the largest cities and the most important infrastructures, Ukraine needs about five to ten Patriot batteries, said the American security expert Cedric Leighton the television channel CNN on Wednesday. “That would cost around ten billion dollars.” Critical voices against further aid packages for Ukraine are increasing, especially on the right-wing edge of the Republican Party.
The bigger problem with the Patriot systems is probably not their cost, but their availability. If the USA or other NATO countries branch off the device from their stocks, it could be missing elsewhere. “We have to be careful that this doesn’t affect the US’s ability to flex its forces globally,” security expert Tom Karako said “Washington Post”.
The production of new missile defense systems takes a lot of time. Switzerland, for example, wants to buy five Patriot units. However, the delivery will only be expected between 2026 and 2028. The long delivery times for complex armaments are one reason why the Ukrainian air defense system is currently a patchwork of old Soviet technologies and newer systems from different NATO countries.
In recent months, Ukraine has received various Western defense systems, including the American-Norwegian Nasams, the German Iris-T and the French Crotales. In order to be able to deliver more Nasams units to Ukraine as quickly as possible, Washington is currently trying to convince various countries in the Middle East to hand in their device in order to receive new ones later.
Suitable against a wide range of threats
With the Patriot missiles, Ukraine can one day close important gaps in its air defense. The system can hit high-flying ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, airplanes or drones at a distance of 35 to 160 kilometers. The range depends on which anti-missiles the US will supply to Ukraine. With greater range comes greater responsibility for distinguishing between friend and foe, says Karako. “You have to be sure of what you’re shooting at.”
Iran may also have played a role in Biden’s risk assessment. While Russian arsenals appear to be running out of missiles, Tehran is said to be preparing to deliver ballistic missiles to Moscow a range of 300 to 700 kilometers to have. The Patriot systems should be an effective means against this danger. The use of expensive defense missiles against cheap Iranian kamikaze drones seems less sensible. But these too have caused significant damage to the Ukrainian power grid. Recently were in the southern port city of Odessa 1.5 million people without light in their Hexpress.
Nevertheless, the Patriots could also help against the swarms of small drones, he writes “Business Insiders”. Russian attacks often come in massed waves to overwhelm Ukrainian defenses. With Patriot missiles intercepting ballistic missiles and cruise missiles, the rest of the defense systems can focus more on the drones in the future.
Whether this will be enough to dissuade Russia from its war against Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure remains to be seen. In addition to more far-reaching anti-aircraft systems, Kyiv has always demanded from Washington the delivery of precise surface-to-surface missiles that can fly up to 300 kilometers – so-called Atacms. As with the Patriot systems, the American government fears a further escalation should Kyiv receive such short-range missiles and use them to attack targets on Russian territory.