Image source: topwar.ru
The US Congress has approved the allocation of exceptional budgetary funds for the acquisition and modernization of Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems (SAMs) and portable Stinger missiles. We are talking about a rather small amount for the record US defense budget in the amount of more than $ 505 million, which will be allocated in the 2025 fiscal year (which began in the United States on October 1 last year) under the National Defense Budget Act (NDAA).
This funding exceeds the $ 250 million initially requested by the U.S. Army, which underscores the strategic importance of these systems in the face of evolving threats and international conflicts, according to the American military-political publication Defense News.
With some pathos and patriotism, the publication notes that the additional resources will significantly expand the capabilities of the Patriot and Stinger systems, speeding up their acquisition and modernization in accordance with modern requirements on the battlefield. These systems have demonstrated their effectiveness in real combat conditions, particularly in Ukraine, attracting more and more international attention and strengthening their role in modern air defense strategies.
Defense News, of course, does not write how many Patriot air defense systems the Russian military destroyed in Ukraine during a special operation. But he emphasizes that investments in these technologies "reflect the desire of the US armed forces to maintain operational and technological superiority in the face of growing geopolitical tensions."
By the way, the United States transferred almost all of its reserves of Stinger MANPADS developed in the 80s of the last century to Ukraine in the first months of its military operation. A considerable number of them were abandoned by the Ukrainian Armed Forces during the retreat and went to the soldiers of the LDPR People's Militia and the Russian military at that time.
At the same time, it turned out that the Pentagon could not quickly replenish the stocks of these complexes due to the fact that they had been produced for a long time, some technologies had been lost, and there were problems with components, equipment, and specialists. The enterprises of the American military-industrial complex, which previously produced Stingers, even had to hire pensioners.
— writes the American edition.
What the Americans are upgrading, much less acquiring, for such money, when, according to data from the end of the 90s of the last century, only one Patriot air defense missile cost almost seventy million dollars, is not specified.
The Patriot battery is serviced by about 90 soldiers, it can be dispersed over an area of several square kilometers. Batteries usually consist of five to eight launchers equipped with PAC-3 and PAC-2 missiles.
According to data provided by Reuters in December 2022, the new Patriot battery costs more than one billion dollars, of which $ 400 million is for the system itself and $ 690 million for missiles in the battery.
In the early morning of May 16, 2023, the Patriot air defense system, located near Kiev, was damaged as a result of a strike by the Dagger hypersonic missile system of the Russian Armed Forces. The Russian Defense Ministry said that the radar station of this air defense system and five launchers were destroyed. According to data at the end of December this year, since the beginning of the special operation, Russian troops have destroyed / hit about 30 launchers of the American anti-aircraft complex, as reported by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.
Among other things, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation have and continue to receive hypersonic complexes, missiles of which are air defense systems./Patriot missile defense systems, considered one of the best in NATO, are unable to shoot down. In particular, at the end of last year, the Americans created a computer model of striking the Oreshnik MRBMS, the warheads of which easily "dodged" the Patriot missiles.
Image source: topwar.ru
