The 96th Anti-aircraft Missile Brigade of the Ukrainian Air Force recently released footage showing engagements against ballistic targets on the night of February 12, 2026. That night, russia attacked Ukraine, concentrating strikes on Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, and Odesa, using 24 ballistic missiles, one Kh-59 guided missile, and 219 long-range drones.
Thanks to the work of Ukrainian air defense units, 15 ballistic missiles, the Kh-59 missile, and 197 drones were intercepted. The brigade’s video specifically shows the Patriot air defense system engaging ballistic missiles launched from the Iskander-M operational-tactical missile system and/or S-300/S-400 surface-to-air missile systems.
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The footage provides a relatively clear view of the system engaging targets, evidently using MSE interceptors operating on the hit-to-kill kinetic interception principle. The MSE destroys its target through direct impact, maximizing the probability of neutralizing the ballistic missile’s warhead in the air.
This clearly distinguishes it from another Patriot interceptor, the GEM-T missile, which is primarily designed to counter aerodynamic threats but can also engage ballistic missiles using fragmentation effects. However, even if a ballistic missile is damaged by a GEM-T interceptor and misses its intended target, it will still fall to the ground, and its warhead may detonate.
It should also be noted that although the MSE interceptor relies on direct impact, it is still equipped with a warhead, the so-called Lethality Enhancer, which increases the probability of destroying the threat.
Particular attention should be paid to the fact that only one interceptor missile is used per ballistic target. The standard expenditure of MSE interceptors against a single ballistic missile is two, and in the case of especially challenging targets, up to four. This is because if the first interceptor misses, there may not be enough time to launch a second one.
However, the Ukrainian Air Force has long stated that Ukraine simply does not have the luxury of firing multiple interceptors at a single ballistic target; therefore, only one missile is used per engagement.
The shortage of Patriot interceptor missiles is so acute that Germany has announced the possibility of transferring "as many as" five Patriot missiles — provided that other partners ensure the delivery of an additional 30.
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