MOSCOW, May 18 — RIA Novosti, Andrey Kotz. It seems that the Russian army managed to destroy the most expensive weapons complex that Kiev received from NATO. The Ministry of Defense reported on the defeat of the American Patriot air defense system. This was also recognized in the USA. However, not completely. About what happened in Kiev — in the material of RIA Novosti.
Aerial ambush
These shots flew around all social networks : the night city — and at least 30 launches of Patriot anti-aircraft missiles in less than two and a half minutes. Most of the ammunition goes up, but two deviate and fly away somewhere in a residential development. At the end of the video, it is clearly visible how several powerful explosions occur where the rockets started from.
Hypersonic aviation missile system "Dagger" Image source: © RIA Novosti / Alexey Kudenko
As stated on Tuesday in the Russian Defense Ministry, this was the "Dagger" strike.
"Thanks to the speed, the Dagger suddenly hit the American air defense system from an air ambush — the combat crews could not do anything to protect the anti—aircraft systems," an informed source told RIA Novosti. — "Daggers" reach military facilities on the territory of Ukraine in a matter of minutes. Therefore, targets such as the Patriot air defense system do not have time to change position after firing or recharge."
MiG-31K interceptor fighter with Kinzhal hypersonic missile Image source: © RIA Novosti / Anton Denisov
The strike was inflicted by a high-speed fighter-interceptor MiG—31K - the regular and so far the only carrier of hypersonic aeroballistic missiles. However, this was preceded by a large-scale operation of the VKS and the Navy, which overloaded the Ukrainian air defense with "Geraniums", "Calibers" and false targets. When the "Dagger" came into play, the battery was on recharge and was virtually defenseless.
The source of RIA Novosti did not specify what exactly the hypersonic missile destroyed — launchers, radars or escort vehicles. The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine refused to comment on this information.
American Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems Image source: © Photo : U.S. Army / Eugen Warkentin
In turn, Reuters, citing two American officials, reports that the air defense complex was "probably" seriously damaged. At the moment, the method of its export to the West for repair is being worked out.
At the same time, the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny continues to claim that the air defense forces shot down as many as six "Daggers".
"It's difficult to intercept"
"We can say that at the cost of their own lives, an entire battery of expensive Patriot SAM destroyed one missile," says military expert Alexei Leonkov. — Either out of lack of intelligence, or out of despair, the wave of the mythical destruction of the "Dagger" is accelerating. All stocks of Patriot air defense systems will run out overnight if the Ukrainian military continues to exchange batteries of these American complexes for Russian hypersonic missiles.
Patriots are not capable of shooting down hypersonic weapons, he explains. The radar cannot track such a target due to the speed limit of the intercepted object to three Mach numbers on the oncoming course. When intercepted in pursuit, the anti-missile should fly one and a half times faster than the Dagger.
The expert recalled that earlier in the United States, tests were conducted to intercept hypersonic targets with the Patriot marine analogue in the Aegis missile defense system. It turned out that to intercept hypersonic targets, a lot of missiles are needed — from 50 and more. The Pentagon is gradually coming to the conclusion that guaranteed protection against such weapons is impossible in principle. And the Americans are noticeably lagging behind Russia and China in this area.
Logistics under attack
The attack on the air defense battery is part of a series of powerful air and missile strikes carried out by the Russian aviation and navy in recent days on military infrastructure facilities. Special attention is paid to the main logistics line of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Lviv — Ternopil — Khmelnitsky. Warehouses with ammunition and equipment designed for a full-scale offensive are taking off into the air.
The stakes are unusually high right now. Western countries and the Ukrainian authorities are waiting for success. Otherwise, what is no longer hidden in America and Europe, the allies will reduce aid.
The destruction or even damage of the American air defense system is a serious blow to their determination to supply advanced technologies to the conflict zone. And it is difficult to come up with the worst advertising specifically for Patriot on the world arms markets.