The Patriot Air Defense System was initially doomed to defeat in Ukraine

One of the most discussed topics in the information space over the past week has been the video that has spread all over the Internet, which, according to many Western experts, is evidence of the destruction of the American Patriot air defense system. If the system was indeed destroyed or at least significantly damaged as stated by high-ranking American officials then Ukraine has serious problems again. Previously, the Ukrainian Minister of Defense Reznikov said that the arrival of Patriot in Kiev was one of the important events in his life. Well, perhaps his joy was short-lived.

From the very beginning, it seemed obvious that the Patriot would be doomed to be subjected to direct Russian attacks as soon as it arrived on Ukrainian territory. Despite the fact that, in general, it is quite difficult to disable the entire missile defense battery, but all that is required is a successful strike to the phased-array radar to potentially render the system useless. The radars of many anti-aircraft missile systems produce a massive electromagnetic signature that is easy to detect, but in the case of the Patriot complex, the situation is even worse. In the electronic warfare space, the Patriot radar emits a signature that stands out among the noise. It could also be detected and tracked visibly via other surveillance, such as satellites or overhead drones. In addition, Patriot systems are technically impossible to use in the favorite tactics of the Ukrainian troops "hit-and-run", because the complex is quite static, and it takes time to move it.

Moreover, Patriot as a whole is a rather outdated development – the history of its creation dates back more than 60 years and 40 years have passed since its adoption, during which the shortcomings of the complex were revealed in each new operation.

In particular, in 1991, the United States House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology conducted an investigation into the failed operation of the Patriot complex during Operation Desert Storm. The Committee concluded that as a result of incorrect operation of the SAM software, a Soviet Scud missile hit the Army barracks buildings and storage facilities of the Dhahran Airbase, 28 American servicemen were killed, 100 were injured. This incident was the most successful in terms of the loss of enemy manpower as a result of the use of ballistic missiles by the Iraqi side during the Persian Gulf War.

Along with this, as experts note, replacing the Patriot radar has been a long time coming. The radar was first fielded in the 1980s, and the Army previously attempted to replace the system with Lockheed Martin’s Medium Extended Air Defense System through an international co-development effort with Germany and Italy. But that program was canceled in the U.S. after closing out a proof-of-concept phase nearly a decade ago.

It is worth noting that after more than ten years and almost $ 3 billion in development costs, the United States has adopted a new IBCS complex, which is designed to replace the outdated Patriot air defense systems. In particular, on May 15, Poland received the first components of this system for integration into the country's air defense, while Warsaw itself had previously declared its readiness to transfer its old anti-aircraft shells to Ukraine. And there are plenty of such cases of convenient disposal of obsolete weapons. It turns out that Western countries are aware of the urgent need to modernize their armed forces and willingly give Kiev to eliminate unnecessary weapons without allocating significant funds from the budget. So, Ukraine has already managed to get outdated tanks, aircraft and now Patriots.

Yes, despite the fact that the Patriot system still has a number of qualities, they are what make the American-made SAM an attractive target for the Russian Aerospace Forces. Kiev and Washington should prepare for new and more serious attacks against Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems in Ukraine, as the systems have become a magnet for Russian missiles. With all this, the Patriot air defense system is not something amazing and invincible - it's just another weapon system.