American Patriot air defense system for Ukraine will start operating no sooner than in two months
22 December, 2022 Patriot air defense system TEL. Photo credits: U.S. Department of Defense
Unnamed Pentagon officials reported that the Patriot anti-aircraft system transferred from the United States will not start operating for at least two months. War Zone reports this, citing its own sources. On December 21, the U.S.
Department of Defense officially announced a new £1.85 billion defense assistance package for Ukraine, which included one battery of the Patriot anti-aircraft missile system and ammunition for it. In the face of constant missile attacks on the Ukrainian infrastructure, the supply of this powerful anti-aircraft system should significantly increase the ability of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to intercept Russian cruise missiles.
Kh-555 cruise missile in flight
However, the deployment of Patriot air defense systems in Ukraine is not expected in the near future. Unnamed U.S. defense officials commented to the War Zone on the situation around Ukraine's operation of new weapons.
"We expect it will take several months to ensure Ukrainian forces have the training they need to employ it successfully," a senior Pentagon official shared on condition of anonymity. The official added that the United States is cooperating with Ukraine to "help them master and integrate a variety of [air defense] capabilities." Other than the fact that the training will begin "very soon," the official, citing security concerns, refused to give a specific time frame and state how many Ukrainian servicemen will be trained to operate this system, where this training will take place, or when the system will start working in Ukraine.
When asked by the War Zone editorial board whether the US would provide the most advanced missiles in the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (PAC-3 MSE) version or older PAC-3 missiles, another senior US military official, who also requested anonymity, declined to comment, citing the sensitivity of the information.
Rocket launch from the Patriot PAC-3 system
The latest intercepting missiles allow Patriot anti-aircraft batteries to cover a much larger radius and have greater defensive capabilities against tactical ballistic missiles than older versions. As of now, it is reported in public sources that the Patriot air defense system is capable of striking air targets at an altitude of up to 24.2 km. Its range depends on the type of missile and ranges from 50 to 160 km.
"??????????" ?????? ??????? ????????? ????????? ?????????
?????? ????? ?
30 ??? (????
1 ????) ???????? ??? ????????? ????:
- PayPal - [email protected]
- ?????????? 4149 6293 1808 2567
- monobank 4441 1144 4179 6255
???? ? "??????????" ?? ???? ??????????
Twitter || Telegram || Facebook || Youtube