Ukrainians in Germany master the Patriot air defense system faster than expected

The Ukrainian military are mastering the Patriot SAM system during exercises in Germany extremely quickly.

Spiegel reported about this.

One of the commanders of the German Air Force involved in the training of the Armed Forces of Ukraine servicemen discussed the successes in mastering the air defense systems.

According to him, the Ukrainians are highly motivated and often have experience already [likely the experience of managing air defense systems – Ed.], so “everything is happening faster than expected.”

The Patriot training course for approximately 70 servicemen of the Ukrainian Armed Forces started in early February in Germany.

The training has been ongoing for about two weeks at the Bundeswehr training ground, the location of which is not being named for security reasons.

As previously reported, at the end of 2022, the United States announced the transfer of one battery of the Patriot SAM system to Ukraine as part of the December military aid package.

At the beginning of January of this year, the German government also decided to transfer Patriot SAM to Ukraine to protect against Russian air attacks.

Ukraine will also receive two Patriot launchers from the Netherlands.

The Netherlands became the third country after the United States and Germany to provide Ukraine with long-range air defense systems.

MIM-104 Patriot is an American anti-aircraft missile system produced by a group of American companies led by Raytheon. The system was developed as a universal air defense weapon at medium and high altitudes. The guidance of its missile to the target is conducted by controlling the radio channel on the ground radar signal reflected from the target.

Patriot SAM is capable of hitting air targets at altitudes up to 24.2 km. Its range depends on the type of missile and comes between 50 and 160 km. Depending on the version, the air defense system can also intercept ballistic targets.