First US Patriot air defence systems reach Ukraine, Kyiv's defence minister says
Patriot missiles
Ukraine said Wednesday that it has received the first Patriots, considered one of the most advanced US air defence systems in the world. Kyiv's defence minister informed about it on Twitter.
"Today, our beautiful Ukrainian sky becomes more secure because Patriot air defence systems have arrived in Ukraine," Oleksiy Reznikov said on Twitter.
He further said that the United States, Germany and the Netherlands had "kept their word".
Germany announced in January that it will be sending one of the most advanced missile defence batteries to Ukraine. The Netherlands followed suit and said it would supply parts of a Patriot air defence system to Ukraine, specifically two launchers and missiles.
The US announced in December last year that it will send the Patriot missile defence system to Ukraine. This was around the time Russia pounded Ukraine's energy infrastructure from the air. Around 100 Ukrainian troops had trained on the Patriot missile defence system in the United States in January this year since Patriots need extensive, hands-on training outside of Europe.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the system will "significantly" strengthen Ukraine's defence against Russian strikes.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin had said that Russian forces will destroy the Patriot missiles.
A Patriot battery is capable of shooting down attack planes, cruise missiles, and some ballistic missiles before they even strike targets, Brigadier General Pat Ryder, spokesman for the US Defense Department, had said.
What is the Patriot missile system?
The MIM-104 Patriot is the US Army’s top-tier surface-to-air guided missile system which is manufactured by the Virginia-based Raytheon Technologies. The defence system is known for targeting ballistic and cruise missiles as well as manned and unmanned aircraft that were first deployed in the 1980s.
The US Army said that it currently has 16 Patriot battalions. Notably, the Patriot batteries are regularly deployed across the world, they are currently being operated in or bought by at least 16 countries, including, Taiwan, Japan, Israel, South Korea, Qatar, and so on, reported the Associated Press.
(With inputs from agencies)
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