President Putin: US Patriot system is outdated

US Patriot missile defense system. Photo: AP

According to the Kyiv Independent, Mr. Putin told journalists: “Patriot is a rather outdated system, it does not work as well as our S-300 surface-to-air missiles. We will take this into account. It is just a way to prolong the conflict... They want to supply Patriots. Let them supply them, we will smash them like nuts.” According to Mr. Putin, Russian missile systems can deal with Patriots.

The Patriot is the most advanced air defense weapon in the US arsenal and Ukraine has long sought to acquire the system.

On December 21, just before President Volodymyr Zelensky met with US President Joe Biden in Washington, DC, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced $1.85 billion in military aid to Ukraine, including Patriot systems.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg recently said that some NATO allies had previously blocked the delivery of the Patriot system for months.

According to the Washington Post, US forces will train Ukrainian troops to use and maintain the Patriot system in a third country, most likely Germany. However, it is unlikely that Ukraine will receive the air defense system before spring.

Commenting on the US provision of Patriots to Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned on December 21 that continued supply of weapons to Ukraine by Western countries would only aggravate the current conflict and would not be beneficial for Ukraine. Previously, on December 14, Mr. Peskov stated that Russia would certainly attack US Patriot systems in Ukraine if this type of weapon was deployed in the ongoing conflict there.

Also on December 14, RIA Novosti news agency quoted Vladimir Dzhabarov, First Deputy Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Russian Senate, as saying that the US providing weapons to Ukraine raises the risk of a conflict between Russia and NATO. According to the official, the US has pushed the world to the brink of World War III.

President Putin's comments on Patriot came after world media praised the Patriot's power.

The US military has touted the Patriot as its premier air and missile defense system. It has been in service since the 1980s and has been delivered to more than 10 US allies over the decades.

Patriot missiles are manufactured by the US multinational aerospace and defense corporation Raytheon. Photo: Raytheon/VNA

Patriot can attack aerial targets, from drones, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles to fighter aircraft and helicopters. The Patriot's operating range varies from 90 km for PAC-1, 160 km for PAC-2 and from 30 - 60 km for PAC-3/PAC-3MSE. The missiles have a maximum target engagement altitude of more than 24 km and operate at speeds from Mach 2.8 to Mach 4, enough to intercept almost any object in theory.

A Patriot missile battery consists of a power supply, a command post, a radar unit, antennas, and up to eight truck-mounted launchers, each carrying four surface-to-air missiles. Developed by US defense contractor Raytheon, the system has a range of up to 100 miles and can intercept incoming short-range ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, or aircraft.

According to military experts, to effectively operate Patriot missile systems, a large team of experts and dozens of well-trained soldiers are needed.

Special training to use the Patriot missile can take months. The Patriot system typically requires 90 soldiers to operate and maintain. However, the system can be fired by a team of as few as three if necessary.