CNN on May 13 quoted two US officials as saying that Russia used a hypersonic missile to try to destroy Ukraine's Patriot system last week. However, Ukraine used the same Patriot system to shoot down the Russian missile.
Patriot system during a missile launch
According to two officials, the Russian side may have intercepted a signal from a Patriot system on the outskirts of the capital Kyiv, then used a Kinzhal hypersonic missile to attack. Ukrainian Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk said the Russian missile was intercepted on the evening of May 4.
The US-made Patriot missile defense system has a powerful radar capable of detecting incoming targets from long distances. However, the radar signal emitted to detect the target also helps the enemy determine the location of the Patriot system to carry out an attack. The Patriot system lacks the mobility of other short-range air defense systems, making it easier to detect.
There are ways to mask those signals, but it is clear that the Russian military was able to detect the location of the Patriot system on the outskirts of Kyiv, officials said.
After Russia launched the Kinzhal missile, the Patriot system fired multiple missiles at different angles and intercepted the target. This is believed to be the first successful combat experience of the Patriot system in Ukraine. Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder also confirmed the above case.
Russian Kinzhal hypersonic weapon is no longer 'invincible' against US Patriot missiles in Ukraine
The Patriot air defense missile system has been in use in the United States since the 1980s. It can intercept aircraft, drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles. Each system consists of several components, including a missile launcher that can carry 4-16 missiles, depending on the version. Ukraine has received at least two Patriot systems, one American and one German.
The Kremlin has declared these systems as legitimate targets for the Russian military to attack. TASS news agency on May 11 quoted a source in the Russian Defense Ministry as saying that the Kinzhal missile shootdown was fake news that Ukraine wanted to make true.
The Kinzhal missile's speed far exceeds the Patriot's maximum attack modes, the source said. "Moreover, the Kinzhal's anti-missile maneuverability during the final leg of its flight and its almost straight-line approach to the target eliminate the possibility of it being intercepted by surface-to-air missile systems," the source said.
Ukraine's weakness exposed, the West urgently helps to overcome?
The source also said that Ukraine's aim was to justify the excessive use of ammunition from air defense systems provided by the West. "The number of interceptor missiles was 2-3 times more than the number of missiles we launched," the source said.
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