Ukrainian operators of Patriot anti-aircraft and anti-missile systems should be supported in their already successful effort to ensure air defense, says Minister of Defense of Germany Boris Pistorius as he announced an "immediate" provision of 64 more missiles to this system on the sidelines of a NATO meeting in Brussels, as quoted by NTV.
The exact name of the type of missile now being prepared for the transfer is not specified. Earlier Ukraine showed particular successes in downing various types of ballistic missiles launched by russians which requires specific missiles of the PAC-3 family against ballistic threats.
Read more: Ukrainian Air Force Reveals How They Managed to Intercept Kh-47 Kinzhal and Other Ballistic Missiles With Patriot
Ukrainian Patriot systems operators recently revealed they had already taken down 80 air targets with this system in just one month since they entered combat duty. They destroyed russia's cornerstone myth about the invincibility of their Kh-47 Kinzhal ballistic missile and had twice repelled mass attacks of six or more "hypersonic" ballistic missiles launched at a time.
That is not to mention Patriot also effectively shoots down other types of ballistic missiles, such as the ones launched by Iskander-M or S-400 systems.
To keep the score up, Ukrainian air defense needs a steady supply of interceptor missiles for the Patriots. The United States is working on increasing the rates of production of both missiles and systems to fire them. Lockheed Martin plans to increase PAC-3 MSE missile production by 20% by 2026.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyi called for creating a Patriot coalition aimed to consolidate the efforts of Ukrainian partners in providing air defense systems. The idea was supported by the Netherlands, the countries are currently looking into the possibility of transferring an additional Patriot battery to Ukraine, now the eyes are on Spain which has a system that could be provided yet this proposal was met with fierce opposition by Turkiye.
Should be noted, the Ukrainian Air Force so far has two systems it received from the US and Germany. Getting more systems goes hand in hand with establishing a steady supply of missiles because the available two Patriots, despite being highly effective, still cannot ensure that 100% of russian air targets are downed.
This "ambitious goal" was voiced by President Zelenskyi during the talks over the Patriot coalition in Chisinau at the Meeting of the European Political Community, on June 1.
Read more: Illusion About Destroying Patriot is the Only Guarantee of Kremlin's Survival: About russian Nukes and NATO Anti-Missile Defenses
