The most expensive anti-aircraft system turned out to be “leaky”
Night anti-aircraft battle in Kiev on May 16 of two batteries of MIM-104F Patriot PAC-3 anti-aircraft missile systems with the Russian hypersonic missile «Dagger», which emerged victorious is being actively discussed in the world. Damaged or destroyed the most expensive anti-aircraft missile system in the world, a symbol of the American military-industrial complex? Based on this anti-aircraft complex, air and missile defense is being built not only for the United States, but also for its closest allies.
The United States has sold Patriots to 17 countries. Most of them are in Japan, Germany, South Korea, Greece, Spain, Taiwan. So the consequences of the «Dagger» strike the States still have to lick for a long time.
The fact that the Patriot is not a panacea for air attacks has long been known. For example, a few years ago, the United States was forced to remove these complexes from Saudi Arabia, where they failed to cope with a raid by Houthi missiles and drones on Saudi oil facilities. Then the States justified themselves by the fact that the Patriot was designed to fight more solid targets.
Now it turns out that the Patriot itself is not protected from such a tool as the Russian hypersonic «Dagger», whose speed is ten times greater than the speed of sound. And this is already a failure, more serious than in Saudi Arabia.
The allies, to whom the United States has allocated Patriot, now understand that it will not be possible to hide under the «umbrella» of these air defense systems. Information appeared on social networks, citing Turkish sources, that immediately after the Kiev events, NATO held an emergency meeting on strengthening the air defense of military airfields in Poland and Slovakia, through which military cargo flows to Ukraine. The basis of this air defense in the same Polish Rzeszow is precisely the Patriot. Now they want to take emergency measures to strengthen it.
Well, in Kyiv itself they continue to collect fragments of 32 anti-aircraft missiles, which Patriot batteries fired at no one knows where on the night of May 16. It would be nice to announce a monetary reward to those Kievans who can deliver the most valuable remains of these missiles to us for research.
The salvo of two Patriot batteries, which, thanks to a Kiev blogger, became public, is estimated at between $60 million and $90 million. The cost of two batteries, according to the price list, is about $2 billion. Dagger «destroyed the complex or partially.
The fact that the air defense system was damaged was recognized in the United States. Damage is assessed. In Kyiv, press officials say that allegedly one «Dagger» cannot completely destroy two batteries. These are 8 launchers, as well as several control vehicles and radars.
As the Fighterbomber channel wrote, this is not necessary. It is enough to destroy the key elements of the complex. For example, a radar station for target illumination or a command post. In this case, the air defense system becomes inoperative and will not be able to fire.
The most important thing, according to the author of the information resource, is that “the coolest anti-aircraft missile, the coolest air defense system in the United States, 32 missiles … turned out to be powerless in front of “Dagger”.
“And for some reason it seems to me,” the author summarizes, “that this was an experimental test of the capabilities of the Patriot air defense system by our side.”
He explained that the Kinzhal hypersonic missile flies along the coordinates set before launch, and, therefore, the location of the air defense system and its critical elements “was well known to our side.”
It was possible to destroy such a target using and other strike assets, such as Geran-2 drones, Kalibr missiles, or Kh-555 aircraft missiles. It was enough to organize their simultaneous raid from different directions. The fact is that Patriot is not an all-perspective system. She works in a sector of about 90 degrees, and would not have survived a circular attack.
However, our VKS chose another means of destruction — the «Dagger». “We saw one point hit in the right place, which clearly explained to all specialists that in the battle “Patriot” vs “Dagger” won “Dagger”. And that's good.»
Perhaps the author of the post is right, and the Russian Aerospace Forces decided to actually demonstrate the potential of the «Dagger» and the vulnerability of the American anti-aircraft «wonder weapon». And they succeeded. Well, to complete the picture: «Dagger», most likely, can carry not only a conventional warhead, but something more serious.
Read the material «A new video of the defeat of Patriot air defense systems by the «Dagger» in Kiev» < /p>