Can Ukraine knock out Russian superweapon with Patriots?
South China Morning Post
23-05-17 07:53
Ukraine claims to have shot down six Russian Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, although details of which defence system was used are not disclosed. Last week the US confirmed that Ukraine had used their Patriot missile system to down a Kinzhal missile in a separate incident. The Patriot system is considered one of the most advanced air defence systems in the US arsenal, with a mobile battery comprised of radar, a control station, launch stations, power generator and other support vehicles. The system functions in different ways according to its interceptor, with earlier PAC-2 interceptors and more advanced PAC-3 using hit-to-kill technology. Costing $1bn per battery unit, with missiles costing $690m, the Patriot system is currently used by 18 countries, including the US, and over 240 have been produced by Raytheon Technologies Corp.