US finalizes plan to send missile defense system to Ukraine

The Joe Biden administration is finalizing plans to deploy the Patriot missile defense system to Ukraine, which could be announced later this week, according to two US officials and a senior administration official.

The Pentagon’s plan still needs to be approved by the Secretary of Defense. Lloyd Austin before being sent to the president for signature. The three officials told CNN that approval is expected.

Ukraine has been urging the US to deploy the advanced long-range air defense system, which is highly effective at intercepting ballistic and cruise missiles, as it comes under a barrage of Russian missile and drone attacks that have destroyed key infrastructure across the country. country.

That would be the most effective long-range defensive weapons system sent to the country, and officials say it will help protect airspace for NATO nations in Eastern Europe.

It’s not clear how many missile launchers will be deployed, but a typical Patriot battery includes a radar array that detects and tracks targets, computers, power generation equipment, an engagement control station and up to eight launchers, each containing four missiles. ready to fire.

Once plans are finalized, the Patriots are expected to be deployed in the coming days and Ukrainians will be trained to use them at a US Army base in Grafenwoehr, Germany, officials said.

Ukraine has been asking for the system for months, but the logistical challenges of delivering and operating it are great. Despite these obstacles, “the reality of what is happening on the ground” prompted the government to make the decision, the senior government official told the CNN noting the continuous and intense barrages of Russian missiles.

Unlike smaller air defense systems, Patriot missile batteries need much larger crews, requiring dozens of people to operate them properly.

Training for Patriot missile batteries normally takes several months, a process the United States will now undertake under the pressure of near-daily Russian airstrikes.

The system is widely considered one of the most capable long-range weapons to defend airspace against ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as some aircraft.

Due to its long-range and high-altitude capability, it can shoot down Russian missiles and aircraft far from their targets inside Ukraine.

Previously, the US sent Patriot batteries to NATO allies such as Poland as a way to bolster its defenses, and sent other weapons systems to Ukraine to help against the Russian invasion.

In recent years, the US has sent Patriot missiles to Saudi Arabia and Iraq to counter threats posed by Iran and its proxies, and to the Pacific region to deter North Korea.

In total, more than a dozen US allies, including Germany, Japan and Israel, have also purchased the system. In recent months, the US has sent advanced medium-range defensive surface-to-air missile systems to Ukraine.

THE CNN contacted the National Security Council for comment.

THE CNN had previously reported that the Biden administration was considering a change.

Last month, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told the CNN that the US is “very focused” on providing Ukraine with air defense systems.

“Now we are very focused on air defense systems and not just us, many other countries,” Blinken told the CNN 🇧🇷

“And we are working to ensure that Ukrainians get these systems as quickly as possible but also as effectively as possible, making sure they are trained in them, making sure they have the ability to maintain them and all of that must come together and it is”, he said.

“We have a very deliberate process set up by Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in Ramstein, Germany, who meets regularly to make sure Ukrainians get what they need, when they need it,” he added.