Ukraine has received a new batch of Patriot air defense systems. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced this during a meeting with journalists.
Meanwhile, Kyiv has also intensified its pitch for the THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) system. Earlier this month, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he wants THAAD as part of possible security guarantees in any future peace agreement.
Zelenskyy said THAAD could boost Ukraine’s overall air defense posture by preventing Russian warplanes from attacking the embattled country with glide bombs, and would be particularly useful amid the scarcity of Patriot missiles.
Ukraine has been seeking the cutting-edge THAAD from the United States since at least 2023, as previously reported by the EurAsian Times.
Former US President Joe Biden refused to approve the request in 2024, even though the system had been operationally deployed in countries such as the UAE, South Korea, and Israel.
At the time, US officials contended that defense commitments differ based on the situation. “Different capabilities, different wars, different regions.”
Interestingly, though, analysts recently dismissed Ukraine’s THAAD request as misplaced, particularly because the system is not known for engaging fighter jets, as the Ukrainian President claimed. Colby Badhwar, a military analyst who specializes in arms sales, procurement, and security support, said: “THAAD has no ability to engage fixed-wing aircraft; it is solely an anti-ballistic missile system.”
Badhwar took to the social media site X to argue that, “Ukraine doesn’t need THAAD, it needs financing for the Ukrainian MoD’s own missile programs (which does not include Flamingo). Zelensky should continue to engage with the Gulf states on this, rather than making silly comments about THAAD shooting down jets.”
Last month, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry expressed its grievance about the sustained shortfall in Patriot deliveries by highlighting the number of Patriot interceptors fired in the war with Iran.
“800 Patriot missiles were used for air defense in just 3 days in the Middle East. Ukraine received 600 in 4 years of full-scale war,” the Ministry wrote on X at the time.
Frustrated with an uptick in Russian aerial strikes across Ukrainian cities, Zelenskyy even went so far as to propose to countries in the Gulf that his country would help them with interceptor drones if they could Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missiles.
“If they give them to us, we will give them interceptors,” Zelenskyy told reporters.
Notably, just days after Zelenskyy renewed the request for THAAD, the co-founder of Fire Point and chief designer of the Flamingo cruise missile, Denys Shtilierman, told Reuters that his company is discussing with European companies the possibility of launching a new air defense system by next year, which would be a low-cost alternative to the Patriot.
Further, he emphasized that the company aimed to slash the cost of intercepting a ballistic missile to below $1 million. “If we can decrease it to less than $1 million, it will be … a game changer in air defense solutions,” he stated. ”We plan to intercept the first ballistic missile at the end of 2027.”
It is pertinent to note that while Ukraine has created efficient internal defenses against Shahed-type drones and other UAVs, the country heavily relies on assistance from foreign partners to intercept ballistic missiles. Reports last year indicated that the effectiveness of Patriot surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) against Russian ballistic missiles had decreased.
“The UAF [Ukrainian Air Force] struggled to consistently use Patriot air defence systems to protect against Russian ballistic missiles due to recent Russian tactical improvements, including enhancements that enable their missiles to change trajectory and perform manoeuvres rather than flying in a traditional ballistic trajectory,” a report prepared by the Offices of the Inspector General at the US Department of Defense, US Department of State, and US Agency for International Development stated.
Patriot Vs THAAD
The THAAD system and the MIM-104 Patriot are both US-developed mobile ground-based missile defense systems, but they serve complementary, not similar, roles.
THAAD specializes in high-altitude interception of short- to medium-range and some intermediate-range ballistic missiles during the terminal phase of flight, often in the upper atmosphere or even exo-atmospheric conditions, by intercepting with a hit-to-kill approach.
Ukraine is potentially interested in THAAD because it is a powerful anti-missile defense system that can intercept ballistic missiles at 200 kilometers and at altitudes up to 150 kilometers, which would be useful for averting Russia’s attacks on its civilian infrastructure.
Meanwhile, the Patriot system is a more versatile, multi-role air and missile defense platform designed primarily for terminal defense at lower altitudes.
It can engage a broader spectrum of threats, including short-range ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, aircraft, drones, and tactical targets. In fact, the Ukrainian Patriots have been credited with downing the Kinzhal hypersonic aero-ballistic missiles and fighters like the Russian Su-34 and Su-35.
Patriot has an operational range of about 40 to 90 kilometers, depending on the variant, and can intercept targets at altitudes of up to 24.2 kilometers.
The older PAC-2 interceptor uses a blast-fragmentation payload that detonates near the target. Meanwhile, the PAC-3 MSE is the most advanced variant of the Patriot interceptor. It uses hit-to-kill technology to destroy targets by direct impact, increasing the efficacy against modern threats by delivering significantly more kinetic energy.
Although the type of Patriot systems delivered to Ukraine is unknown, Kyiv probably possesses at least some PAC-3 interceptors.
THAAD’s AN/TPY-2 radar can detect targets at distances of 2,000-3,000 kilometers in some configurations, whereas the Patriot’s AN/MPQ-65 or AN/MPQ-65A radar can detect targets at up to 150 to 170 kilometers.
The THAAD system has a wider coverage area and is built to protect larger areas, such as cities or regions. However, the Patriot system is often used to guard high-value targets, such as military sites or densely populated regions, and to provide point defense.
Patriot offers shorter engagement ranges for ballistic missiles but excels in point defense of specific high-value assets, such as air bases or cities, with greater flexibility in mixed-threat environments.
THAAD’s interceptors are more expensive and focused solely on ballistic missiles, with limited or no capability against aircraft or cruise missiles.
Most of Ukraine’s air threats, including the fighters dropping glide bombs, are fixed-wing aircraft or lower-altitude threats outside THAAD’s design envelope. Its utility would therefore be “extremely marginal.”
That said, the two systems are not direct competitors but are designed to work together in integrated operations.
THAAD serves as an “upper-tier” or outer shield against high-altitude ballistic threats, cueing Patriot launchers with its superior radar data to extend their reach. If a missile leaks through THAAD, Patriot provides a second layer of defense at lower altitudes.
Ukraine may be asking for Patriot systems to create a layered missile defense against Russian missiles, which would also include its own low-cost air defenses and the army’s locally produced interceptor drones.
In fact, the US Missile Defense Agency (MDA) had earlier successfully demonstrated the interoperability of two critical air defense systems, the Patriot and THAAD. At the time, MDA launched the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Missile Segment Enhanced, or PAC-3 MSE, from a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system.
Both interceptors, however, have long production timelines, and their delivery to Ukraine remains a headache for the United States, which is unwilling to help Kyiv at the expense of its own defense.
Moreover, THAAD is generally perceived as a component of a global anti-missile system erected by the United States, especially in countries like South Korea, to threaten China. Currently, the only two international operators of the system are Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
- Contact the author at sakshi.tiwari13 (at) outlook.com
- Follow EurAsian Times on Google News
