Ukraine will receive 5 more Patriot systems by the end of 2024 – Raytheon
The Patriot system, created more than 40 years ago to shoot down Russian missiles, is finally fulfilling its purpose. During the May attacks by Kyiv, Patriot SAMs eliminated first one and then 6 more Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, which the Russians considered invulnerable. The whole world has clearly seen the effectiveness of the missile defense system, and Raytheon plans to increase their production – 5 new systems will be manufactured for Ukraine.
“No one was 100% sure that the Patriot was capable of destroying the X-47 hypersonic missile,” says Colonel Serhiy Yaremenko, commander of the 96th Air Defense Brigade defending Kyiv. The military in Ukraine’s partner countries told him, “We are learning from you right now.”
The detection equipment recognized the targets at a distance of 200 km, and the last one was hit at a distance of 15 km, seconds before the possible strike. Raytheon Technologies, the main manufacturer of the Patriot, is increasing production to 12 units per year and plans to deliver five of them to Ukraine by the end of next year, according to company CEO Greg Hayes. “We were very surprised by its effectiveness.”
- According to Hayes, Ukraine has finalized the Patriot software to destroy missiles flying 2 times faster than the designed speed.
The Patriot program started in the 1960s and was almost shut down several times due to cost overruns and technical difficulties. The name, which stands for Phased Array Tracking Radar to Intercept of Target, was given to the system in 1976, the year of the US bicentennial. Over 40 years, the complexes have been modernized, and now they bear little resemblance to the original.
Raytheon assembles Patriot radars and guidance systems in Andover, Massachusetts. Lockheed Martin manufactures the Patriot missiles at its plant in Camden, Arkansas, while Aerojet Rocketdyne creates the rocket engines. Raytheon and Lockheed Martin are expanding their factories as part of the Pentagon’s efforts to replenish ammunition depleted by the war in Ukraine and to fulfill orders from other countries. Lockheed Martin is also reaching out to Patriot customers and users, such as Poland, to help produce parts.
- Each Patriot system costs about $1 billion and takes two years to build. The cost of interceptor missiles reaches $4 million each.
The high cost of charges and their limited availability require Ukrainian operators to choose their targets carefully. The United States trained about 90 Ukrainian soldiers to operate the Patriot as part of an accelerated 10-week program that was completed ahead of schedule. The standard training time is 16 weeks for fire control operators and up to nine months for maintenance personnel.
The first units arrived in Ukraine in April, and in May they were already shooting down Kinzhalys. Dozens of Patriot systems are needed to create an air shield over all important cities and facilities in Ukraine, but even two batteries demonstrate exceptional efficiency.
