(Reuters) – Ukraine said on Tuesday it shot down six Russian hypersonic Kinzhal missiles in a single night, in what would be a major setback for Moscow’s efforts to develop an unstoppable next-generation weapon.
It was not clear which air defense system kyiv used to shoot down the missiles, but last week the US military confirmed that Ukraine had shot down a Kinzhal missile using the US-produced Patriot system.
Here’s what you need to know about the Patriot:
WHAT IS THE PATRIOT MISSILE SYSTEM?
The Patriot, which stands for Phased Array Tracking Radar for Intercept on Target, is a surface-to-air missile defense system built by Raytheon Technologies Corp and considered one of the most advanced air defense systems in the US arsenal.
The system was first used in combat during the 1991 Gulf War, with batteries protecting Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Israel, and was later used during the US invasion of Iraq in 2003.
CAN THE PATRIOTS REMOVE HYPERSONIC MISSILES?
The Patriot system was designed before hypersonic weapons were sent to the battlefield and Raytheon has not publicly said that it is effective against a missile flying at hypersonic speeds (anything greater than five times the speed of sound). While the US said the Patriot system shot down last week’s Khinzal missile, it was unclear if that missile was traveling at hypersonic speed at the time.
While Russia’s Kinzhal missile can reach speeds of up to 7,600 mph (12,350 kph), “Russia’s designation of the Kinzhal as a ‘hypersonic’ missile is somewhat misleading, as almost all ballistic missiles reach hypersonic (i.e., above Mach 5) at some point during its flight,” the Center for Strategic and International Studies said in a March 2022 report.
HOW DOES THE PATRIOT SYSTEM WORK?
The Patriot is a mobile system that typically includes powerful radar, a control station, a power generator, launch stations, and other support vehicles.
The system has different capabilities depending on the type of interceptor, battery-fired missile, used.
The earlier PAC-2 interceptor uses an explosive fragmentation warhead, while the PAC-3 family of missiles uses more advanced hit-to-kill technology.
It is not clear what kind of Patriot systems have been donated to Ukraine, but it is likely that kyiv has at least some of the newer CRI PAC-3 interceptors.
The system’s radar has a range of more than 150 km (93 miles), the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) said in 2015.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
A single newly produced Patriot battery costs more than $1 billion, with $400 million for the system and $690 million for the missiles in a battery, according to CSIS.
HOW DOES PATRIOT HELP UKRAINE?
Ukraine has said it needs more air defense systems to guard against the barrage of missile and drone attacks from Russian forces.
The United States has also provided a pair of National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS) to Ukraine.
While the Patriot system is designed to intercept threats such as aircraft and ballistic missiles, it can also shoot down the “kamikaze” drones that Russia has frequently sent to attack Ukraine’s critical infrastructure. But it would be an extremely expensive way to destroy drones that only cost thousands of dollars.
HOW WIDELY IS THE SYSTEM USED?
Raytheon has built more than 240 Patriot systems and they are currently used by 18 countries, including the United States. The system has been in high demand in the Middle East due to the threat Iran poses to the region.
According to Raytheon, the system has intercepted more than 150 ballistic missiles in combat since 2015.
(Reporting by Idrees Ali, Phil Stewart and Mike Stone; Editing by Don Durfee and Lisa Shumaker)