Patriot missile systems have long been a hot ticket item for the U.S. and allies in contested areas of the world as a coveted shield against incoming missiles. In Europe, the Middle East and the Pacific, they guard against potential strikes from Iran, Somalia and North Korea.
So it was a critical turning point when news broke this week that the U.S. has agreed to send a Patriot missile battery to Ukraine -- something Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has sought for months to augment his country's air defences. U.S. officials have confirmed the agreement, and an official announcement is expected soon. But experts caution that the system's effectiveness is limited, and it may not be a game changer in the war.
The Patriot system "is one of the most widely operated and reliable and proven air missile defenc systems out there," and the theatre ballistic missile defence capability could help defend Ukraine against Iranian-supplied ballistic missiles, said Tom Karako, director of the Missile Defence Project at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies.Over the years the Patriot system and missiles have been continually modified.
According to officials, the urgent pleadings of Ukrainian leaders and the devastating destruction of the country's civilian infrastructure, including loss of electricity and heat as winter drags on, ultimately overcame U.S. reservations about supplying the Patriots. One former senior military official with knowledge of the Patriot system said it will be effective against short-range ballistic missiles and it represents a strong message of U.S. support, but one battery isn't going to change the course of the war.
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