Ukraine to receive Patriot missile system amid escalating conflict

In light of the growing security crisis in Ukraine, Romania has decided to provide Ukraine with a Patriot missile system. Romania's Supreme Council of National Defense (CSAT) conveyed this information on Thursday. "This is an unprecedented event," experts comment.

"The significant deterioration of the security situation in Ukraine, caused by Russia's continuous and massive attacks on the civilian population, prompted the council members to decide on providing the Patriot system to Ukraine," read the statement issued by the CSAT.

The council emphasized that the implementation of this decision depends on the results of negotiations between Bucharest and Washington. Romania must obtain permission from the USA to deliver a similar or equivalent system that would secure its airspace.

"This is an unprecedented event in light of Bucharest's previous policy of not publicizing its military support for Kyiv," said OSW analyst Kamil Całus, quoted by PAP. As he pointed out, the Romanian authorities did not publicly announce what and how much was being provided to Ukraine, although it was known that such support was being given. An inevitable change in this policy was the decision to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16 aircraft at a base on Romanian territory in cooperation with NATO allies.

Patriot is an advanced American anti-aircraft missile defense system that is highly sought after by many countries. Its primary function is to detect incoming threats in the form of missiles, projectiles, aircraft, or even loitering munitions. Upon detecting such threats, the Patriot system intercepts and destroys them in the air before they reach their target.

The capabilities of the Patriot system depend on, among other things, the radar version, the type of target being countered, and the munitions used. It is assumed that it can counter hostile objects up to even 100 miles away and moving at an altitude of 79,000 feet. In the case of MIM-104A variants, the speed of the launched missiles reaches approximately 3 Mach, but for PAC-2 and PAC-3 variants, it can reach up to 5 Mach.

"There is no doubt that Washington has at least preliminarily promised something to Romania. This could be either an increased military presence along with USA-owned air defense systems or financial support for equipment purchases under the so-called Foreign Military Financing (FMF) instrument. We will learn about the details over time. It is also probable that President Klaus Iohannis, who is ending his second term and has just finally dropped out of the race for NATO Secretary-General, also received offers during negotiations for a position within international structures," added Kamil Całus.