Raytheon, the main contractor that produces the Patriot air defense system, announced that the Eastern European country has received a second-hand device from the United States and another from Germany and the Netherlands. These are expected to be supplemented by more second-hand deliveries from Western countries, although these may only satisfy a fraction of the 50-odd units requested by the Ukrainian government. The increase in deliveries comes amid growing concern among Ukrainian and Western sources that Ukraine’s indigenous air defense network, formerly the largest in Europe, is on the verge of serious depletion. While Russia’s air defense suppression efforts have always left much to be desired, the network, largely based on the S-300 and BuK systems inherited from the Soviet Union, has seen its ability to protect Ukrainian forward positions severely compromised, rendering asset-equipped Russian combat aircraft far from guided Glide bombs to anti-armor missiles for greater impact on the front line.
Reports of a severe depletion of the S-300 arsenal began to emerge in late 2022, a notable example of which was when Ukrainian Air Force Chief Spokesman Colonel Yury Ignat told the London-based Financial Times in November that there was no way for it and other countries to Procuring more missiles for a Soviet system built entirely in Russia and Belarus has the potential to have serious implications on the front line. Secret documents leaked from the U.S. Department of Defense in April show growing concern within the Pentagon about the state of the Ukrainian Air Force’s surface-to-air missile network, arguing that the air defense system assigned to front-line protection of Ukrainian forces will be “completely reduced in the near future.” . The Patriot is widely considered to be the Western analogue of the S-300, although it is much less maneuverable and has a much narrower arc of fire. Still, the modern Patriot system has many advantages over the Soviet-era S-300 models that Ukraine relies on, especially when it comes to sensors and electronics.
Although the Patriots can only replace a small fraction of the S-300s in service, they are expected to be prioritized for defending large cities rather than frontline personnel, as their low mobility limits their usefulness in the latter role. This is critical Yes, as strikes in Russia are increasingly likely to render major cities uninhabitable. It is uncertain whether Raytheon will be able to expand production of the missile system as planned, or to what extent they will continue to receive foreign orders from outside Ukraine after the recent defeat in combat. The destruction of the Patriot system in Kiev on May 16 was just the latest in decades of underperformance in testing and combat. The combat losses suffered by the Patriots raise the possibility that its more advanced competitor, the newer American-Israeli David’s Sling system, will gain market share quickly, especially in Europe.