Patriot anti-aircraft system in the Ukraine war: Putin's nightmare for Russia's missiles?

Ukraine had been demanding the Patriot system for months, and last week three of these anti-aircraft systems finally arrived in the country.

How hermetic is the protective screen?

Kiev – It is one of the most modern anti-aircraft systems in the world: the Patriot system can intercept ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and aircraft.

Three units of the US air defense system have already arrived in the country, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov confirmed last Wednesday.

For the first time, Ukraine can now intercept ballistic missiles against which Kiev previously had no means.

Do Putin's missiles no longer stand a chance in the Ukraine war?

How the Patriot system works: decision within seconds

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One of the Patriot anti-aircraft systems already delivered to Ukraine comes from Germany (archive image of the Bundeswehr's Patriot system from June 2015).

© IMAGO/Sven Eckelkamp

Since last year, Kiev has been demanding patriots from the West for defense, and the systems have finally arrived in Ukraine - one of them comes from Germany.

The "Phased Array Tracking Radar for Intercept on Target" system can use radar to keep an eye on 50 air targets at the same time and engage five at the same time.

The defense missiles fired via the "Launcher" can hit targets up to a height of 30 kilometers; according to the Bundeswehr, the range is 68 kilometers.

When the radar system detects a flying object, this information is first relayed to the fire unit.

With the help of computers, the flying object is verified and classified as friend or foe, according to the Bundeswehr.

The soldiers verify the computer suggestion and initiate combat – they often only have seconds for this.

Moments elapse between spotting an enemy missile and making the decision to launch it.

"The most critical objects are tactical-ballistic missiles - because of their high speed," said Lieutenant Colonel Markus König, commander of Flugawehrrocket Group 21, to the

newspaper, adding: "You have several seconds to make this combat decision."

Putin's nightmare?

Patriot system is "unique capability" of the western world

In addition to the Patriot systems, the Ukrainian air defense also has Iris-T systems and Gepard anti-aircraft tanks, which form different layers of the protective shield.

The Iris-T SLM alone saved thousands of lives, according to the Ukrainian side.

“Our military are excited about Iris-T.

Every shot is a hit, nobody misses,” said the mayor of Kiev, Vitali Klitschko, in March about the heavy attacks on the Ukrainian capital in winter.

The Patriot system has an even greater range than Iris-T, for example, and thus represents the outer layer of Ukraine's protective shield. According to Ukrainian information, the system can now also be used to intercept ballistic missiles, against which the country previously had no means.

Lieutenant Colonel Markus König considers the Patriot air defense system to be a "unique capability" in the western world, "particularly in the area of ​​defense against tactical ballistic missiles, which is what distinguishes the Patriot weapon system".

It is certainly a defense capability "that is effective," said the lieutenant colonel zu

when asked whether the system was "Putin's nightmare."

Patriot system has no chance against Russian hypersonic missiles

As good as the Patriot system is, according to military experts, there is no defense system that can hermetically seal off airspace.

In addition to ballistic missiles and cruise missiles, Russia also has other weapons, such as the supersonic missile Kinzhal (in English: dagger).

It flies extremely fast, but remains manoeuvrable, even the most modern missile defense systems have no chance here.

When spotted by ground-based radar, the missile is almost on target.

"Hypersonic missiles, with their novel combination of speed and maneuverability, can overcome all current missile defense systems and radically shorten the reaction time of the attacked actor," said a report by the Munich Security Conference in 2019. Kinzhal were also used in the Ukraine war.

In March, for example, one of these hypersonic missiles hit Kiev.

However, according to military experts, Russia does not have a large inventory of Kinzhal missiles.

Most recently, however, Russia increasingly attacked with glide bombs, especially in regions close to the front, which the Patriots also cannot intercept.

Nevertheless, the Patriot systems increase Ukraine's defense capability and expand the protective shield.

"Today our beautiful Ukrainian skies will be even safer because the Patriot anti-aircraft systems have arrived in Ukraine," the Ukrainian defense minister wrote on Twitter on the day of the delivery.

The more anti-aircraft systems Ukraine has at its disposal, the easier it will be for the military to manage the difficult balancing act between protecting critical infrastructure and cities on the one hand and defending the front lines on the other.

So far, the protective shield has not covered the entire country.

(Bettina Menzel)