Military expert estimates how many Patriots Ukraine needs to effectively shoot down ballistic missiles

Ukraine needs at least 11-13 Patriot or SAMP/T systems to effectively shoot down ballistic missiles. This opinion was expressed by military expert Vladyslav Selezniov to UNN.

Selezniov noted that only Patriot or SAMP/T are capable of shooting down ballistic missiles.

"Only these two systems are capable of shooting down ballistic missiles. There are also the latest developments of the S-300 system, but I'm not sure that the Ukrainian army has them in service," Selezniov said.

The expert recalled the words of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that if Ukraine had received 7 Patriots, people would not have died. When asked how many Patriot systems Ukraine still needs to effectively shoot down ballistic missiles, Selezniov replied: "We currently have three Patriot batteries and one SAMP/T battery. About six months ago, Mykhailo Podolyak said that we need at least 13 similar batteries. The other day, Zelensky said that at least 7 more... I think that at least 11-13 systems of Patriot batteries or analogs could seriously strengthen our air defense system.

Military expert Dmytro Snegiryov also told a UNN journalist that there are a limited number of systems that work specifically on aeroballistic munitions.

"This is Patriot or the Italian SAMP/T. That is, it is a suitable long-range air defense system that can effectively counteract specifically against weapons with an aeroballistic trajectory. We can ask for Patriot and Franco-Italian SAMP/T. There are also British developments, but they have medium-range air defense," Snegirev said.

Addendum

Against the backdrop of massive air strikes, NATO promises to strengthen Ukraine's air defense.

Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat statedthat Ukraine needs to constantly replenish its air defense stocks.

Earlier, Zelenskyy saidthat Ukraine expects Western partners to provide air defense and weapons to protect it from Russian aggression.