Why the US has not delivered the Patriot air defense system to Ukraine is a question that military observers try to analyze and find the right answer.
US military officials fear falling into a position of self-disgrace by supplying Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine. Analysts of the publication Military Watch (MW) made the above comment.
Recently, it was reported that the Pentagon is considering sending one of its advanced Patriot missile defense systems to Ukraine, the weapon is drawn from its own combat components.
Before the above development, MW noted that this would set a dangerous precedent for escalating tensions between Russia and NATO. At the same time, the big question is whether this air defense system will be effective in the fight against modern Russian missiles.
Analysts have compared the Patriot system with the S-300 complex currently in use by the Ukrainian military. It is known that many S-300 batteries have been destroyed, and now the last remaining Soviet-era systems are coming from all over Eastern Europe to Ukraine.
“Although these are older variants of the S-300, the Patriot is unlikely to be significantly better as its performance is far from desirable even in Iraq during the Gulf War. 1991 and more recently in Saudi Arabia against insurgents in Yemen”.
“Patriot air defense systems have failed quite a few times, although they are decades behind the missiles that the Russian Army is currently equipped with,” the MW analysts clarified.
According to analysts, the US Patriot systems will not have a significant impact on Ukraine’s defenses, because Russian cruise and ballistic missiles have special means to overcome enemy groups. modern interceptor.
The publication Military Watch believes that the Pentagon will ultimately refuse to supply the Patriot missile defense system to Ukraine, out of fear of embarrassment if the weapon proves to be extremely ineffective on the battlefield.
“The possibility of large losses to the Patriot batteries is a strong incentive for the US not to agree to make deliveries to Ukraine, despite the urgent request of the Kyiv government.”
“The reason is that this will shake the confidence of allies in the US-made missile defense system and potentially lose many potential customers in the world arms market,” the press release said. MW products said.
However, this may not be the only reason why Washington has not transferred its Patriot air defense system to Kyiv. If Patriot appears in Ukraine, the Russian Army will have a great opportunity to test weapons against the main Western missile defense complex.
“The risks associated with allowing Russia to test its capabilities against NATO’s main anti-aircraft and anti-missile systems reinforce the arguments against the supply of Patriot,” the article noted.
However, it should be added that the US has provided Ukraine with another state-of-the-art air defense system that is NASAMS specializing in combating fighter aircraft and cruise missiles, there were also concerns about this weapon before unlike Patriot.
However, NASAMS has proven itself very good in protecting Kyiv skies, so it does not rule out the possibility that Patriot will be supplied to Ukraine by the US at an appropriate time.
US military officials fear falling into a position of self-disgrace by supplying Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine. Analysts of the publication Military Watch (MW) made the above comment.
