The US has agreed to send a battery of Patriot missiles to Ukraine, but experts say that this may not change the situation in the war, reports Al Jazeera.

Patriot missile systems are among the most sought-after allies in contested areas of the world as a preferred anti-missile shield. In Europe, the Middle East and the Pacific, they defend against potential attacks from Iran, Somalia and North Korea.

So it was a watershed moment when news broke this week that the U.S. had agreed to send a battery of Patriot missiles to Ukraine — something Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been calling for for months to bolster his country’s air defenses.

US officials have confirmed the deal and an official announcement is expected soon. But experts warn that the effectiveness of the system is limited and that it cannot change the rules of the game in war.

See what the system is and what it does:

What is Patriot?

The Patriot is a surface-to-air guided missile system that was first deployed in the 1980s and can engage aircraft, cruise missiles and short-range ballistic missiles.

Each battery has a fire section (four launchers mounted/attached to the truck, radar, fire control unit, generators and other equipment).

Against cruise missiles and drones, Ian Williams notes, the Patriot’s value is limited because their radar has a 120-degree coverage angle, while NASAMS monitors the horizon 360 degrees, AFP reported.

Why does NATO not send Patriot systems to Ukraine?

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba, present at the NATO meeting in Bucharest at the end of November, again called for advanced air defense systems, mentioning, among other things, the advanced Patriot system. Shortly afterwards, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg was asked about this type of system at a press conference.

The decision on whether or not to send Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine is up to each individual government, Jens Stoltenberg said, Reuters reports.

“Such a discussion is going on. But just as important is how we ensure that all the systems we’ve already sent are working and effective. And for that we need to be able to support with spare parts for maintenance as well as ammunition. This is one of the modern challenges. For example, the NASAMS system that has already been sent to Ukraine, or the IRIS-T system, we have not only sent, but we guarantee that we can also provide them with spare parts and ammunition so that they can operate effectively. Therefore, we are discussing a wide range of additional systems, but we are also urgently addressing the needs for the functioning of the current systems,” Stoltenberg said in Bucharest.

• Read also: The American general explained why Patriot missiles or the Israeli Iron Dome system will not help Ukraine: “Those who recommend them do not know anything”

What might happen if NATO sends the Patriot

Asked whether NATO risks becoming a party to the conflict by sending Patriot systems to Ukraine, Stoltenberg said the allies have already supplied Kiev with modern weapons without sending NATO personnel.

“As it was done, when there was a need for specialists to work with these systems, be it air defense systems or other advanced artillery systems, Ukrainians were trained in a NATO country,” he said.

Issues of logistics and training

The Patriot battery can require up to 90 soldiers to operate and maintain, and for months the US has been reluctant to provide the complex system because sending forces to Ukraine to operate it is not a good idea for the Biden administration.

But there were also fears that the deployment of the system could provoke Russia, or that there was a risk that a launched missile could reach inside Russia, potentially escalating the conflict further.

Patriot system radar (photo: MApN)

Urgent requests from Ukrainian leaders and the devastating destruction of the country’s civilian infrastructure, including the loss of power and heat throughout the winter, ultimately outweighed U.S. reservations about supplying the Patriots, officials said.

A key obstacle will be training. US forces will have to train Ukrainian forces on how to use and maintain the system. Army soldiers assigned to Patriot battalions undergo intensive training to be able to effectively locate a target, lock on it with radar, and fire.

The U.S. has trained the Ukrainian military in other complex weapons systems, including highly mobile artillery missile systems known as HIMARS. In many cases, they managed to shorten training, delivering Ukrainian troops to the front line in a matter of weeks. Officials declined to provide details on how long the Patriot training will last or where it will take place.

How can Patriot help Ukraine?

The Patriot air defense system that the United States is to provide to Ukraine will send a strong signal of support to Kiev and bolster the country’s air defenses at a time when Russia is bombing its infrastructure, but the equipment is not a panacea, AFP reports.

A former senior military official familiar with the Patriot system said it would be effective against short-range ballistic missiles and sent a strong signal of US support, but the battery would not change the course of the war.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal with Ukraine has not yet been made public, said the Patriot battery has a long range but can only cover a limited area. For example, “Patriot” can effectively protect a small military base, but cannot fully protect a large city like Kyiv. They can cover only part of the city.

Patriot systems are often deployed as a battalion consisting of four batteries. This will not be the case for Ukraine, which, according to officials, will receive only one battery.

Sources: Al Jazeera, AFP, Reuters, HotNews.ro