Ukraine’s Patriot Air Defense Downs Over 140 Ballistic Missiles

One of the Patriot air defense systems operated by the Ukrainian Air Force has already intercepted more than 140 ballistic missiles.

The Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported this.

In total, the system has destroyed nearly 250 aerial targets launched by Russian forces against Ukraine.

“As of today, we have destroyed nearly 250 targets using the Patriot system, more than 140 of which were ballistic,” Hero of Ukraine Viacheslav Aheiev, commander of a Patriot division, shared in an interview.

It was his unit that was the first to travel to the United States for training on the Patriot air defense system, which Ukraine received as part of international military assistance.

“Three months turned out to be more than enough. After operating ‘hands-on’ Soviet-era equipment, mastering a modern system was very easy. After three to four weeks, I was already calling my brigade commander and saying, ‘Commander, we know everything. Bring us back to Ukraine – we want to fight,’” Aheiev recalled.

On the night of May 4, 2023, servicemen from this unit, using the Patriot system, became the first in the world to shoot down a Russian Kinzhal air-launched ballistic missile fired at the Kyiv region.

In terms of size and external appearance, the Kinzhal missile is similar to the ballistic missiles used by the Iskander tactical missile system. The missile’s maximum stated speed is Mach 10.

The missile is carried by a modified MiG-31K interceptor aircraft, which can carry one missile and strike targets at ranges of up to 2,000 km.

As of today, the Patriot surface-to-air missile system is one of the most effective air and missile defense systems in service with Ukraine’s Defense Forces. The system uses three different types of missiles capable of intercepting aerial targets at long ranges, as well as ballistic and hypersonic missiles.

The most advanced version of the Patriot air defense system currently in service is the PAC-3, which was designed for a particularly challenging mission – intercepting short- and medium-range ballistic missiles during the terminal phase of their flight.

Last week in Davos, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy reached an agreement with U.S. President Donald Trump on the supply of missiles for Patriot air defense systems during their meeting.