A landslide victory for Ukraine, the US officially supplies the Patriot Missile System for the war against Russia

A landslide victory for Ukraine, the US officially supplies the Patriot Missile System for the war against Russia.

Susi Susanti, Okezone · Thursday 22 December.

WASHINGTON - The United States (US) said on Wednesday (21/12/2022) that it would provide Ukraine with an advanced Patriot air defense system to help counter Russia's relentless air strikes.

The system is part of a $1.85 billion aid program launched in conjunction with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to Washington, which was his first trip abroad since invading Russia in February.

The announcement is a significant victory for Kyiv, which has repeatedly pushed Washington to provide the Patriot system, and a sign of strong US support for Ukraine that will help bolster the country's defense.

"Today's assistance includes the Patriot Air Defense System for the first time, which is capable of taking down cruise missiles, short-range ballistic missiles, and aircraft at much higher altitudes than previously provided air defense systems," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement. a statement. The statement, quoted by AFP.

Ukraine's air defenses have played a key role in protecting the country from attack and preventing Moscow's forces from taking over the skies. But as Russia experienced increasing setbacks on the ground, it began systematically targeting critical infrastructure in Ukraine in attacks that have disrupted power, air and heat for millions of people. Created by Raytheon, the MIM-104 Patriot is a surface-to-air missile (SAM) system originally developed to intercept high-flying aircraft. It was modified in the 1980s to focus on new tactical ballistic missile threats, and proved itself against Iraq's Russian-built Scuds in the first Gulf War - the first time the system had been used in combat.

While Russia has not used many ballistic missiles during its war in Ukraine, Washington says Moscow has discussed getting them from Iran.

"Unlike other Western systems that have been delivered to Ukraine, (Patriot) has some anti-ballistic missile capabilities (depending on the type of missile used)," Karl Mueller, a senior political scientist at the RAND Corporation, told AFP. "If Russia acquires a large number of ballistic missiles from Iran, as many predict, most of the rest of Ukraine's air defense systems will not provide any protection against them," he added. Patriot has proven effective in Saudi Arabia against Iranian ballistic missile designs fired from Yemen, and prime contractor Raytheon says the system has intercepted more than 150 ballistic missiles in combat since 2015. When Russia invaded in February, Ukraine's air defenses consisted mostly of Soviet-era aircraft and SAM systems, which Kyiv used effectively to deny Moscow air superiority.

They have been significantly enlarged since the start of the war: the United States provided NASAMS and Germany IRIS-T - two advanced systems - while older equipment such as the S-300 and HAWK systems and Stinger missiles have also been developed.

Kyiv has used a variety of systems against the Moscow cruise missiles and bomb-like Shahed-136 drones, but modern SAM launchers and missile systems - including NASAMS - are sorely in short supply. Ukraine's international backer's aim is to build a 'multi-layered' air defense for the country consisting of low, medium and high altitude systems that can protect against a wide range of threats.

Subscribe to receive free email updates: