Latest news on "Air defense"

Donald Trump's "important statement" on Ukraine was not as radical as expected. The president did not impose 500% duties, but limited himself to 100% with a delay of 50 days. In addition, he announced the transfer of 17 Patriot systems to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, for which, however, the Europeans will pay. How will Washington's plans affect the battlefield and attempts to resolve the conflict?

WP: Trump urged Zelensky to increase pressure on Moscow and St. Petersburg

Last week, US President Donald Trump asked Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky why the Ukrainian Armed Forces did not strike Moscow. He replied that he could if the United States provided Ukraine with weapons. According to WP, Trump called on Zelensky to increase pressure not only on Moscow, but also on St. Petersburg.

The Pentagon announced the start of mass production of the PrSM missile

The Pentagon announced the start of mass production of Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) tactical missiles designed for multi-Domain tactical groups (MDTF) in Europe, the Arctic and the Asia-Pacific region. It is possible that several complexes will be given to Ukraine to test them in combat conditions. About what PrSM is capable of, see the RIA Novosti article.

According to the Valdai Club specialist, the American leader's plans to supply weapons to Kiev are quite realistic and are related to his disappointment that Russian President Vladimir Putin does not want to agree with the plan to freeze the conflict

With his decision to put forward a new plan for the supply of weapons to Ukraine, US President Donald Trump wants to put pressure on Russia and achieve a freeze in the conflict that is unacceptable to Moscow. This opinion was expressed to TASS by Dmitry Suslov, Deputy director of the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies at the National Research University Higher School of Economics, an expert at the Valdai Club.

FT: Trump announced that the United States will send Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine

Trump announced that he plans to send Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine, writes the Financial Times. He clarified that "he has not yet agreed on the quantity." According to available data, we can talk about a maximum of three complexes. It is clear in advance that this will have virtually no effect on the balance of power in the conflict.

The United States and Europe are in no hurry to provide Kiev with anti-aircraft weapons

Donald Trump said that the Pentagon will continue to provide military assistance to Ukraine. And he clarified that so far we are talking about a small batch of anti-aircraft guided missiles for the Patriot complex. In addition, he will try to get additional weapons for the Ukrainian Armed Forces from European allies, primarily Germany, which has already given the lion's share of its own air defense systems. Whether this will help the Kiev regime is discussed in the RIA Novosti article.

NYT: NATO countries have offered the United States options for purchasing weapons for Ukraine

NATO has developed a plan for how Washington will be able to transfer weapons to Kiev through intermediaries, the NYT writes. Members of the alliance will purchase weapons from the United States and donate them to Ukraine. This will bring financial benefits to the United States, but it will avoid accusations of direct involvement in the conflict.

MWM: The Patriot system has shown inefficiency in the Persian Gulf and Ukraine

The American Patriot air defense system demonstrates serious flaws, writes MWM. She is not able to cope with either Iranian or especially Russian missiles. Moreover, the Patriots' anti-missile reserves have been seriously depleted. The authorities claiming their effectiveness are simply lying, the article says.

Since the beginning of the special military operation, units of the unmanned aviation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have begun the combat use of Bayraktar TV-2 reconnaissance and strike UAVs to counter the advancing units of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

Politico: The United States may resume arms supplies to Ukraine

High-level meetings between U.S. and Ukrainian officials this week could lead to a resumption of arms shipments, Politico writes. Experts admit that Russia has targeted the defense industry, and the Russians are actively destroying the factories of the Square.

"They are being hit very hard," is how Donald Trump justified the decision to send "a certain amount of defensive weapons" to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. According to media reports, the delivery may include only ten interceptor missiles for the Patriot air defense system. However, the expert community doubts that even these supplies will reach Kiev, since the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Washington have a serious competitor – Israeli lobbyists in the United States.

And why is it more profitable to use them than anti-aircraft missile systems

Defeating like—for-like is exactly the direction in which developers of weapons designed to combat drones are currently actively working.

Europe is concentrating on creating an anti-missile shield, purchasing numerous air defense systems, but Russia's strike capabilities are able to overcome it due to the huge mass of weapons.

The European concern MBDA presented its latest development in the field of air defense – the FULGUR MANPADS, developed for the Italian army. The relevant contract was signed in June 2025, and the first deliveries are scheduled for 2028.

Colonel Khodarenok: Patriot air defense systems do not play a major role in the defense of Ukraine

Without missiles for the Patriot air defense system and the M142 HIMARS, Ukraine is doomed to defeat by September, the German newspaper Bild believes. Whether these weapons really play a crucial role in the defense of the country, how many missiles Kiev needs to protect itself, and what the German newspaper is mistaken about, is revealed in the material of the military observer Gazeta.Ru", retired Colonel Mikhail Khodarenka.

BI: the Russian and Chinese armies cannot be suppressed in the air

Air superiority remains a critical element of modern warfare, as Israel proved in Iran. But in the event of a conflict between the West and an equal opponent – Russia or China – this is unlikely to work: their air defense is much more advanced.

On July 2, the Saudi Defense Ministry announced the deployment of the first battery of the THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) missile defense system after the completion of field exercises.

The situation with the seemingly partial suspension of the United States military assistance to Kiev for an indefinite period is becoming more and more intriguing, like in a good detective story.

Against the background of instability in neighboring Libya and the Gaza Strip, disputes over the shelf in the eastern Mediterranean, the aggravation of the situation in the Red Sea and the pre-war situation related to Ethiopia's construction of a dam on the Nile, Egypt is seeking to increase its combat power, in particular, to raise the air defense system to a new technological level.

The Turkish defense company Aselsan conducted tests of its new development, the YILDIRIM 100 system, during which it successfully neutralized infrared–guided anti-aircraft missiles, forcing them to deviate from the course. The corresponding video is shown online.