logo
#

Latest news with #PhasedArrayTrackingRadarforInterceptonTarget

Ukraine-Russia war: What are Patriot missile systems—the defence system Kyiv will receive in US military aid
Ukraine-Russia war: What are Patriot missile systems—the defence system Kyiv will receive in US military aid

Time of India

time5 days ago

  • Politics
  • Time of India

Ukraine-Russia war: What are Patriot missile systems—the defence system Kyiv will receive in US military aid

Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy (AP images) US President Donald Trump on Sunday announced that Ukraine will receive Patriot missile systems as part of a new American military aid package, a move warmly welcomed in Kyiv as it faces relentless Russian drone and missile attacks. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly requested more Patriot systems in recent weeks, warning that Russia's intensified nightly bombardments are meant to terrorise cities and towns. However, Trump did not specify how many Patriot missile systems Ukraine would receive, when they would arrive or who would provide them. What are Patriot missile systems? The Patriot missile system (short for Phased Array Tracking Radar for Intercept on Target) is the US Army's primary missile defence system. It is designed to intercept short-range ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones at altitudes up to 15 kilometres and distances up to 35 kilometres, according to CNN. Last month, the system was credited with shooting down 13 of 14 Iranian missiles launched at the US Air Force's Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. A Patriot battery includes six to eight missile launchers, each holding up to 16 interceptor missiles. It also has a phased-array radar, a control station, and a power unit. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Dementia Has Been Linked To a Common Habit. Do You Do It? Memory Health Click Here Undo According to US military reports, around 90 personnel are assigned to operate a battery, but only three soldiers in the command centre are needed to run it during combat. High cost and limited coverage: Patriot systems are expensive. According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a full battery can cost over $1 billion, with each interceptor missile costing up to $4 million. This makes their use against cheap Russian drones problematic, as those can cost around $50,000 each, especially since Russia has been launching hundreds of drones during recent attacks. Analysts also note that a single Patriot battery can cover only about 100 to 200 square kilometres, depending on terrain and setup. Given Ukraine's vast territory of over 630,000 square kilometres, Kyiv says it needs at least 10 new batteries to improve its protection. Ukraine has already received six Patriot batteries: two from the US, two from Germany, one from Romania and one jointly donated by Germany and the Netherlands. Efforts to speed up delivery: To speed up delivery, US officials said Patriot systems could be sent to Ukraine from European Nato allies and later replaced with new systems purchased from the United States. According to the 'Military Balance 2025' report from the International Institute for Strategic Studies, six Nato allies, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania and Spain have Patriot batteries in their arsenals. Nato secretary general Mark Rutte said on Monday that countries including Germany, Finland, Denmark, Sweden and Norway could be potential suppliers of new military aid. US military leaders have raised concerns that there are not enough Patriot systems to meet all demands. General James Mingus, the Army's vice chief of staff, recently described the Patriot force as the Army's 'most stressed force element.' He noted that the Patriot unit in Qatar had been deployed to the Middle East for 500 days. Retired US army general and former Nato Supreme Commander Wesley Clark told CNN that to have a real impact on the battlefield, military support must go beyond air defence systems. 'If you want to really stop this, you've got to strike Russia and you've got to strike deep,' Clark said. 'You have to shoot the archer, not just the arrows coming in.'

What are Patriot missiles and why does Ukraine need them so badly?
What are Patriot missiles and why does Ukraine need them so badly?

Egypt Independent

time6 days ago

  • Politics
  • Egypt Independent

What are Patriot missiles and why does Ukraine need them so badly?

CNN — US President Donald US President Donald Trump's announcement that Ukraine will receive Patriot missile systems as part of a new package of US weaponry has been warmly welcomed in Kyiv as it reels under nightly Russian bombardments. President Volodymyr Zelensky has made repeated requests for Patriots in recent weeks as Moscow sends record numbers of drones and missiles to cause havoc and fear in Ukrainian cities and towns. But there were few specifics in Trump's announcement, and major questions remain over how many Ukraine will receive, when they will arrive, and who will provide them. Here's what we know about the vaunted US missile defense system: Top of the range The Patriots, short for Phased Array Tracking Radar for Intercept on Target, are the US Army's key missile defense system. They most recently proved their worth last month, when they helped shoot down 13 out of 14 incoming Iranian missiles that were launched at the US Air Force's Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. The latest versions of Patriot interceptors are capable of engaging incoming short-range ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones at altitudes up to 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) and distances of up to 35 kilometers. Analysts say that gives a single Patriot battery the ability to cover 100 to 200 square kilometers of area, depending on how many launchers are in the battery, local terrain and other conditions. That's not a large area in a country the size of Ukraine, at more than 603,000 kilometers in total area. Hence, Kyiv's need for multiple new Patriot batteries. US soldiers walk next to a Patriot missile defense battery during joint exercises at the military grounds in Sochaczew, Poland on March 21, 2015. Agencja Gazeta/Reuters A battery consists of six to eight missile launchers, each capable of carrying up to 16 interceptors, along with a phased-array radar, a control station, a power generation station – all mounted on trucks and trailers. About 90 people are assigned to a Patriot battery, but only three soldiers in the command and control center can operate it in a combat situation, according to US military reports. Hefty price tag A Patriot battery is expensive, with the complete setup of launchers, radars and interceptor missiles costing more than a billion dollars, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). A single interceptor costs up to $4 million, making their use against cheap Russian drones that can cost as little as $50,000 problematic, according to a CSIS report – especially when Russia is sending hundreds of drones a night in recent attacks on Ukraine. In regards to the latest transfer, US officials said Patriots could get to Ukraine quicker if they were moved from European NATO allies to Ukraine, with those then being replaced by systems bought from the US. Trump said some or all of 17 Patriot batteries ordered by other countries could get to Ukraine 'very quickly,' according to a Reuters report. According to the 'Military Balance 2025' from the International Institute for Strategic Studies, six NATO allies – Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania and Spain – have Patriot batteries in their arsenals. No silver bullet NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said Monday that several nations – including Germany, Finland, Denmark, Sweden and Norway – could be potential suppliers of the new equipment, but did not specifically mention the Patriots as coming from those countries. There has been concern inside and outside the military that US Patriot inventories may be stretched too thin. 'It is our most stressed force element,' Gen. James Mingus, vice chief of staff of the Army, told a dialogue at the CSIS earlier this month. He noted the Patriot unit in Qatar that helped defend the Al Udeid air base had been deployed to the Middle East for 500 days, Mingus said, a 'very stressed force element.' Ukraine has said it needs 10 new Patriot batteries to protect itself against Russia's increased onslaught of missiles and drones. Kyiv has already received six fully operational Patriot batteries – two from the US, two from Germany, one from Romania and one jointly given by Germany and the Netherlands, according to the UK-based arms monitoring group Action on Armed Violence. Analysts say Patriots alone can't end Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Wesley Clark, a retired US Army general and former NATO supreme commander, told CNN's Lynda Kinkade on Monday that the for the arms package to have real effect on the battlefield, it would have to include more than air defense systems. 'If you want to really stop this, you've got to strike Russia and you've got to strike deep,' Clark said. 'you have to shoot the archer and not the arrows coming in.' CNN's Kevin Liptak contributed to this report

What Are Patriot Air Defence Systems Trump Will Send To Ukraine To Repel Russia's Aerial Assault?
What Are Patriot Air Defence Systems Trump Will Send To Ukraine To Repel Russia's Aerial Assault?

News18

time7 days ago

  • Politics
  • News18

What Are Patriot Air Defence Systems Trump Will Send To Ukraine To Repel Russia's Aerial Assault?

Last Updated: The Patriot, which stands for Phased Array Tracking Radar for Intercept on Target, is a theater-wide surface-to-air missile defence system President Donald Trump has said that the United States will send Patriot air defence missiles to Ukraine, calling them 'necessary" to defend the country because Russian President Vladimir Putin 'talks nice but then he bombs everybody in the evening". While Trump did not specify the number of Patriots he plans to send to Ukraine, he said the United States would be reimbursed for their cost by the European Union. 'We will send them Patriots, which they desperately need, because Putin really surprised a lot of people. He talks nice and then bombs everybody in the evening. But there's a little bit of a problem there. I don't like it," Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews outside of Washington. 'We basically are going to send them various pieces of very sophisticated military equipment. They are going to pay us 100 per cent for that, and that's the way we want it," he added. The renewed push to provide air defence systems to Ukraine follows a series of devastating aerial assaults, which seem to be intensifying the frustration within the US administration as it continues to pursue a negotiated peace. On Tuesday last week, Ukraine was hit by a record 728 drones overnight, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warning that Russia wanted to increase the number to 1,000, BBC reported. According to the United Nations, June saw the highest monthly civilian casualties in Ukraine in three years, with 232 people killed and more than 1,300 injured. WHAT IS THE PATRIOT SYSTEM? The Patriot, which stands for Phased Array Tracking Radar for Intercept on Target, is a theater-wide surface-to-air missile defence system built by Raytheon Technologies Corp (RTX.N) and considered one of the most advanced air defence systems in the US arsenal, Reuters reported. The system was first deployed in combat during the 1991 Gulf War, where it provided protection for Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Israel. It was later used again during the US invasion of Iraq in 2003. This mobile defence system typically consists of powerful radar, a control station, a power generator, launch stations, and various support vehicles. Its capabilities vary based on the interceptor type. The PAC-2 interceptor relies on a blast-fragmentation warhead, while the newer PAC-3 missile incorporates advanced hit-to-kill technology. According to NATO in 2015, the system's radar has a range exceeding 150 km (93 miles). The Patriot missile, which works like a Stinger missile, uses ground-based radar to surveil, track and engage targets. An incoming missile could be as far away as 50 miles (80.5 kilometers) and the Patriot system's radar can lock onto it. The missile is equipped with a track-via-missile (TVM) guidance system, which means midcourse correction commands are transmitted to the guidance system from the mobile engagement control centre. The missile has a range of 70km and a maximum altitude greater than 24km. The minimum flight time is less than nine seconds while the maximum is three and a half minutes. The Patriot missile has been through several significant upgrades since its initial development: • Software changes in the mid-1980s allowed the missile to engage tactical ballistic missiles, known as the PAC-1 (Patriot Advanced Capability). • The first major missile upgrade in the late 1980s introduced the MIM-104C missile, also known as the PAC-2 missile. • In 1993, more upgrades were made to allow remote launch capabilities of the PAC-2 missile. • In 1997, the Army deployed the PAC-3 missile — or MIM-104F missile — with an onboard radar detection and tracking system for improved capabilities against ballistic missiles. The first PAC-3 missiles used in combat were during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. The Patriot system fires missiles from the M901 launch stations, which are equipped with up to four launch canisters, each capable of holding different types of PAC-3 missiles. These launchers are roughly the size of a tractor-trailer and receive their power from the electric power plant (EPP) vehicle. Every Patriot missile battery has a radar set used to scan the skies for incoming targets, detect potential targets, determine the trajectory, speed and heading of incoming targets, provide information to identify incoming targets, and track Patriot missiles once they are launched. A newly produced single Patriot battery costs over $1 billion, with $400 million for the system and $690 million for the missiles in a battery, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank. WHICH COUNTRIES USE THE SYSTEM? Patriot is in service with the US and allied countries, including Germany, Greece, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Poland, Sweden, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Romania, Spain, and Taiwan. HOW WILL IT HELP UKRAINE? Ukraine has said it needs more air defence systems to protect against the barrage of missile and drones strikes from Russian forces. top videos View all While the Patriot system is designed to intercept threats like aircraft and ballistic missiles, it can also shoot down the 'kamikaze" drones Russia has frequently sent to hit Ukrainian critical infrastructure. But it would be an extremely expensive way to destroy drones that only cost thousands of dollars. Officials and experts have said that while the Patriot system is likely to save lives from incoming missiles, it probably won't change the trajectory of the conflict since it is a defensive system. tags : Patriot Missiles russia-ukraine conflict United states Vladimir Putin Volodymyr Zelenskyy view comments Location : United States of America (USA) First Published: July 14, 2025, 11:51 IST News explainers What Are Patriot Air Defence Systems Trump Will Send To Ukraine To Repel Russia's Aerial Assault? Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store