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The newly announced and officially confirmed military aid package includes famous Patriot surface-to-air launchers and missiles.
Patriot missile launcher and a radar. Image credit: LCharn via Pixabay, free license
The exact number of Patriot missile launchers was not disclosed. However, a typical battery in the U.S. Army contains 6-8 Patriot launchers all connected in a single air defense system, with a command post, radar, and support vehicles. All items will be supplied directly from the stocks of the US Armed Forces.
It is also not clear what version of Patriot missiles will be supplied to Ukraine. The U.S. Army uses PAC-2 and PAC-3 variants. PAC-3, however, is far superior to PAC-2 because it features significantly better capabilities of intercepting ballistic missiles, and has about five times greater area of coverage.
How many launchers can be in a single Patriot battery?
The Patriot missile system is a mobile air defense system designed to defend against a variety of threats, including aircraft, drones, and missiles. The exact composition of a Patriot battery can vary, but they always include detection, command, and control elements. Let’s have a look at some standard U.S. military technical information.
A typical structure of the Patriot battery. Image credit: U.S. Army
The exact number can vary depending on the specific mission requirements and the availability of resources. Some Patriot batteries may have fewer launchers, while others may have more. All of them can be located up to 1 km from the radar or command post. A battery consisting of 8 launchers may engage up to 8 targets simultaneously.
In terms of the number of missile launchers in a battery, it is not uncommon for a Patriot battery to have at least four launchers, so preliminary we can assume this is the minimum expected number of these platforms scheduled to arrive in Ukraine.
What other equipment is included in this latest military aid package?
Here’s the complete list of military aid announced by the U.S. Department of Defense on Dec.21:
- One Patriot air defense battery and munitions;
- Additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS);
- 500 precision-guided 155mm artillery rounds;
- 10 120mm mortar systems and 10,000 120mm mortar rounds;
- 10 82mm mortar systems;
- 10 60mm mortar systems;
- 37 Cougar Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) Vehicles;
- 120 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWVs);
- Six armored utility trucks;
- High-speed Anti-radiation missiles (HARMs);
- Precision aerial munitions;
- Over 2,700 grenade launchers and small arms;
- Claymore anti-personnel munitions;
- Demolition munitions and equipment;
- Night vision devices and optics;
- Tactical secure communications systems;
- Body armor and other field equipment.
The above-mentioned assistance part is estimated at $ 1 billion.
At the same time, another part of the $850 million in assistance is transferred under the Security Assistance Initiative for Ukraine (USAI) program, which means certain items are yet to be manufactured and will take longer to be delivered. This additional list includes:
- 45,000 152mm artillery rounds;
- 20,000 122mm artillery rounds;
- 50,000 122mm GRAD rockets;
- 100,000 rounds of 125mm tank ammunition;
- SATCOM terminals and services (possibly Starlink);
- Funding for training, maintenance, and sustainment.
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