Foreign-Supplied Patriot Defense System Confirmed to Have Shot Down Russian Aircraft Over Ukraine
The Ukrainian Air Force recently confirmed that several Russian aircraft shot down in May over Ukrainian territory were indeed destroyed by a foreign-supplied Patriot air defense system. This revelation follows the release of video evidence in July by the Ukrainian Air Force, which seemed to link the destruction of three Russian helicopters on May 13 to a Patriot system.
Colonel Yuri Ignat, the Ukrainian Air Force spokesman, confirmed on November 27 that a Patriot defense system was used to destroy three Russian Mi-8 Hip helicopters, a Su-34 Fullback strike fighter, and a Su-35 Flanker-E in Russia’s Bryansk region on May 13. This information was revealed in an interview with the Ukrainian media outlet Novynarnia. The Patriot system, standing for Phased Array Tracking Radar for Intercept, consists of a radar, fire control, communications, and support components, as well as up to eight launchers.
In the interview, Ignat described the shoot-downs as “a brilliant operation” and praised the “unconventional and decisive actions” of the Air Force commander. He also emphasized the importance of Patriot batteries for aerial defense in Ukraine, highlighting instances where they were used to shoot down Russian aircraft, including Iskander missiles and the Kinzhal air-launched derivative.
Additionally, Ignat mentioned that one of Ukraine’s Patriot batteries detected and destroyed more than a dozen incoming Russian missiles, including six Kinzhals, near Kyiv shortly after the events of May 13.
While there were initial rumors of Russian aircraft being targeted by a surface-to-air missile system, subsequent video evidence pointed specifically to the involvement of the Patriot air defense system in the shoot-downs on May 13. Despite the sensitivity of using U.S.-donated advanced weapons, Ignat’s confirmation adds credibility to the use of the Patriot system in Ukraine.
It’s worth noting that the Patriot system downed the Russian aircraft at a significant distance from the Ukrainian capital. However, the probability of intercepting targets at that range, according to David Shank, a retired Army colonel, was likely low. There is also the possibility that remote Patriot site launchers were set up to engage longer-range targets.
Although these claims are yet to be verified by additional sources, the confirmation of the Patriot’s involvement in the shoot-downs adds further weight to its effectiveness in Ukraine.
