The United States wants to support "patriots" to Ukraine (NATO helps Ukraine)

Reference News Network reported on December 19 that US officials recently revealed that they are ready to approve the delivery of a Patriot air defense missile system to Ukraine. Although the White House, Pentagon and the State Council all declined to comment, if approved, it will be one of the most advanced weapons systems provided by the United States to Ukraine. The Russian Embassy in Washington responded that this may "lead to unpredictable consequences" and pose a threat to global security. If "Patriots" do join the Ukrainian arsenal, to what extent will it change the conflict situation between Russia and Ukraine? Interestingly, several Russian and western experts have similar views on this issue.

In May this year, the Patriot air defense system deployed near Slovakia

Russian experts: It is a good weapon, but it also has shortcomings

The website of Russian Youth Pravda newspaper * * * interviewed many Russian experts and thought that the symbolic significance of the "Patriot" system provided by the United States to Ukraine may be greater than the actual significance.

Russian experts say that, first of all, it will be a complicated process for "Patriots" to reach the battlefield in Ukraine and actually put into battle. The United States is likely to use the C-13 military transport plane to transport it to one of the three American air bases in Germany. If Ukrainian soldiers are going to operate this weapon, American experts should spend months training them, because Patriot is a very complicated system.

With regard to the performance of this weapon, * * * Youth Pravda said that Americans are full of praise for their weapons, and think that Patriot is the most effective defense against ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and some fighter planes.

Russian experts are much more cautious: "Patriot" is a good weapon, but it also has shortcomings. For example, the radar station can't look around. Only for anticipated threats. Any missiles or planes and drones flying from the side or the rear will be invisible to the Patriots. The field of vision is only 9 degrees, which means that the remaining 27 degrees are blind areas. The minimum height of radar detection target is 3 meters, while advanced cruise missiles can fly at a low altitude of 2 meters from the ground, not to mention suicide drones that can fly at a height of 1 meters. Patriot's radar can't track targets whose speed is less than 3 meters per second. This means that low-speed drones will remain invisible to the Patriots.

However, Russian experts stressed that even so, the "patriot" factor should not be underestimated. Its appearance will in any case strengthen Ukraine's air defense system.

In addition, Dmitry Efstafyev, a well-known Russian political scientist, said: "The supply of such weapons will mean that the degree of American intervention in the conflict has reached a new level. This is a sign of danger. "

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The so-called "new level" means that the regular combat troops of the US Army appear in Ukraine. After all, in order to maintain the Patriot system, we need not only guards and drivers, but also experienced military professionals, that is, Americans.

American expert: shooting drones? Too uneconomical

Two western experts expressed similar views in an interview with Al Jazeera. Matthew Whalen, CEO of the American Security Project, a think tank specializing in military affairs, believes that the Patriot missile will not "have an impact in the short term because it is a complex system and needs months of training".

Michael Beck, an expert in national defense affairs, said that the arrival of Patriot missiles in Ukraine would greatly enhance Kiev's air defense and missile defense capabilities, but he was "not sure whether this would change the rules of the game". He said that Ukraine needs some time to train and use the Patriot missile system and integrate this weapon into its defense system.

Regarding the capability of Patriot missile against Russian advanced missiles, Whelan said: "It depends on the missile system used by Russia. Patriot missile will effectively fight against some types of cruise missiles, fighter planes and some short-range ballistic missiles. However, Patriot missile itself costs millions of dollars, which may not be suitable for shooting down small missiles or cheap drones economically or tactically."

On the other hand, Baker told Al Jazeera: "The effectiveness of Patriot missiles against advanced Russian missiles, including hypersonic missiles, remains to be seen. We don't know how many missiles Ukraine will receive or how many missiles the United States can send to Ukraine without running out of stocks."

Baker believes that the Patriot missile system will not prevent Russia from launching drones, especially since each Patriot missile costs about US$ 4 million, "Moscow may be more likely to try to overwhelm the Patriot system with a large number of missiles and drones".