What is the Patriot missile system that Trump is sending to help Ukraine? Russia has warned…
New Delhi: US President Donald Trump, who has failed in his attempt to stop the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, has recently burst out in anger on Russian President Vladimir Putin. While reprimanding Putin, Trump has made a big announcement to help Ukraine. On Sunday, July 13, the US President has said that the USA will send an unknown number of Patriot missile systems to Ukraine.
In the last few weeks, Russia has continuously launched missiles on Ukraine, after which Trump has become furious. Trump has said that Putin talks good things during the day, but bombs at night. At the same time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has demanded more defense systems including Patriot to protect against attacks from Russia. Now after this decision of Trump, the Patriot missile system is in the news.
What is Patriot?
The Patriot missile system is America’s most advanced air defense system. It is an abbreviation of Phased Array Tracking Radar for Intercept on Target. The Patriot system is capable of surface-to-air attacks. It was developed by Raytheon Technology in the 1980s. A typical Patriot battery consists of radar and control systems, a power unit, launchers and support vehicles. The system is also capable of intercepting aircraft, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles, depending on the interceptor.
How does Patriot work?
The capabilities of this system vary depending on the type of interceptor used. It is not clear what kind of Patriot systems the US is going to give Ukraine, but Kyiv is likely to get PAC-3 CRI interceptors. NATO said in 2015 that the radar of this system has a range of more than 150 km. Raytheon has stated on its website that since January 2015, Patriot has intercepted more than 150 ballistic missiles in combat operations.
Which countries use it?
Raytheon has so far manufactured more than 240 Patriot fire units and sent them to different countries including Germany, Poland, Ukraine, Japan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Earlier in January, Axios had reported that the USA had sent about 90 Patriot interceptors to Ukraine.
What is the cost?
According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the cost of a newly manufactured Patriot battery is more than $1 billion. At the same time, the estimated cost of a Patriot interceptor is about $4 million per missile.
Russia’s warning
Meanwhile, Russia has said that it considers the announcement of sending Patriot systems by the US as a direct escalation of tensions. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova issued a warning in May, saying that giving more air defense systems to Ukraine would end the possibilities of ceasefire.
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