“Russia’s Kinzhal missile damages US-made Patriot defense system in Ukraine”

Jakarta –

Russia continues to target the anti-missile defense system Patriot, which was supplied to Ukraine by the United States and Germany. Using the Kinzhal hypersonic missile, one of the Patriot systems was eventually hit by the attack and was damaged.

The US-made Patriot air defense system was probably damaged, but not destroyed, by a barrage of Russian missile attacks around Kyiv. The US is still assessing the extent to which the system is damaged, the official sources said. They will determine whether the system needs to be recalled entirely or repaired on the spot by Ukrainian forces.

The Russian Defense Ministry said on Telegram that a high-precision strike by the Kinzhal hypersonic missile system on the city of Kyiv hit the US-made Patriot anti-aircraft missile system.

quoted detikINET from CNN, Ukrainian officials said they successfully intercepted 6 hypersonic missiles fired by Russia, but the Ukrainian military declined to comment on Russia’s claims that the system Patriot shot. “We cannot comment on it. We will not comment on Russian sources,” said Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yurii Ihnat.

Ukraine currently has two Patriot defense systems, one contributed by the US and one jointly contributed by Germany and the Netherlands. It is not clear which system was potentially damaged, but if so could affect Ukraine’s ability to defend Kyiv amid intensifying Russian missile attacks.

Russia had targeted the Patriot system with a hypersonic missile before, but failed as Ukraine managed to intercept the missile before it could hit the Patriot.

US officials said it was possible the barrage of missiles hit one of the Patriot’s several components. A complete Patriot system has 6 main components: a generator, a radar set, a control station, an antenna, a launch station and an interceptor missile. These components operate together to fire the missile and direct it to the target.

But severe damage to one or more components could force Ukraine to take the system offline and have to leave the country for repairs.

The Patriot has a powerful radar for detecting targets at long distances, making it an air defense platform capable of intercepting ballistic missiles and more. But that radar emission also allows the enemy to detect Patriot and know the location.

Watch Video “Russia Ensures Continued Use of Kinzhal Hypersonic Missiles to Destroy the Ukrainian Military“

(fyk/fyk)