Last week, Russia tried to destroy a Western-supplied Patriot air defense system in Ukraine with a Kinjal hypersonic missile, which the Russians consider “invincible,” two U.S. officials told CNN.
The attack failed and instead the Ukrainian military intercepted the missile with a Patriot system, officials said, marking Ukraine’s first known successful use of the advanced air defense system just weeks after it arrived in Ukraine.
Ukraine’s air defenses fired several missiles from the Patriot system at different angles to intercept the Russian missile, showing how quickly they have become experts in using the powerful system, the official said.
American officials believe the Russians picked up signals emitted by the Patriot, allowing them to target the system with a hypersonic missile known as the Kinjal or Killjoy.
The Patriot missile system has a powerful radar to detect approaching targets at long range, making it a powerful air defense platform capable of intercepting ballistic missiles and more.
But the radar radiation needed to detect threats at a distance also allows an adversary to detect a Patriot battery and determine where it is.
And unlike some of the shorter-range air defense systems supplied to Ukraine, which are mobile and harder to target, the large Patriot battery is a stationary system, allowing the Russians to pinpoint their location over time.
According to officials, there are ways to disguise these signals to some extent, but the Russian military apparently was able to determine the approximate location of the Patriot system, which is located outside Kyiv.
The interception took place there on the night of May 4, Ukrainian Air Force Commander Mykola Oleschuk said at the end of last week.
Kremlin spokesman Dmytro Peskov said the Patriot system is “definitely” a legitimate target for Russian forces.
Earlier this week, Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Patrick Ryder confirmed that the Ukrainians used the Patriot system to intercept the Kinjal, which can reach hypersonic speeds.
Ukraine has received at least two Patriot systems, one from the United States and one from Germany, to improve its air defenses, which have so far been unable to intercept more advanced Russian missiles such as the Kinjal.
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Source: Hot News
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