Home reports air German Patriot battery to Ukraine “as quickly as possible”.

German Patriot battery to Ukraine “as quickly as possible”.

January 6, 2023

The Air Force plans to deliver a Patriot anti-aircraft missile battery to Ukraine as soon as possible. Patriot (Phased Array Tracking Radar to Intercept on Target) is intended to support Ukrainian air defense against Russian drone and missile attacks. This emerges from a statement from the Air Force. Yesterday, Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that he would deliver the system to Ukraine.

The training is also carried out by Germany, the statement continues. The Air Force inspector, Lieutenant General Ingo Gerhartz, emphasizes that the training and delivery must now be carried out as quickly as possible. Given that the Air Force has already stationed two Patriot squadrons in Slovakia and is soon to relocate one to Poland, Gerhartz describes the transfer to Ukraine as a show of strength for the troops, but one that must be done in these special times.

The Air Force emphasizes that, despite its extensive orders, it is still able to do its part for Germany within the framework of NATO's Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD).

According to the Air Force, Anti-Aircraft Missile Squadron 1 currently has twelve Patriot squadrons. Each squadron has a Patriot anti-aircraft missile battery. These each consist of a fire control center, a multifunctional radar device for airspace surveillance and fire control, a power supply system, a radio relay team with power generators and antenna mast systems as well as eight launch devices, each with four or eight guided missiles.

It is unclear which missiles Germany will deliver. The PAC-2 or PAC-3 version would come into question. The two differ, among other things, in the warhead. While the PAC-2 variant has a proximity fuse for the warhead, the PAC-3 version is intended to destroy an incoming missile using its own kinetic energy. It is a hit-to-kill system.

In addition, the PAC-3 version is significantly more compact, meaning that more missiles can be accommodated in one launcher. In addition, the PAC-3 variant has its own radar seeker head, so that the missile can lock on to the target independently in flight and is not dependent on corrections from the fire control radar.

PAC-3 is primarily designed for missile defense and would be better suited to avoid system saturation due to the higher number of missiles in the launchers. This means that the system has to fight more incoming missiles than it has available for defense and is therefore oversaturated.

With a view to Ukraine, where Russia is trying to use this tactic to overcome the existing air defense systems, delivery of the PAC-3 version would probably be a sensible step. It remains to be seen whether this will also be delivered, as it is both the more modern and also the more expensive variant.

A disadvantage of Patriot compared to other air defense systems, besides the high cost per missile, is the radar. This does not rotate and only has a limited field of vision of around 120 degrees. Therefore, it must be aimed in the direction from which danger is most likely to arise. However, if an object flies in from a different direction, the system is unable to detect it.

In addition to Germany, the USA will also deliver a Patriot anti-aircraft missile battery to Ukraine (ES&T reported). The White House announced this shortly before Christmas.

The delivery of the Patriot anti-aircraft missile batteries will strengthen Ukrainian air defense. However, comprehensive protection cannot be achieved even with these additional systems. On the one hand, the batteries can only cover a limited area and, on the other hand, the costs per missile are so high that the system will only be used to protect important infrastructure or against high-value targets.

Further information about the Patriot air defense system can be found here.

Editorial / oh

Related topics