U.S. Intelligence: Russia Upgrades Ballistic Missiles, Threatening Ukrainian Patriots

American Defense Intelligence estimates that Russia has modernized its ballistic missiles, making them more maneuverable and creating new challenges for Ukraine's high-tech American-made Patriot air defense systems.

The Gaze reports on it, referring to Business Insider.

In a special report this week, the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Defense notes that the Ukrainian Air Force is facing difficulties in using Patriot systems to intercept Russian ballistic missiles due to new “tactical improvements” that allow Russian missiles to maneuver instead of flying along a traditional ballistic trajectory.

The improved maneuverability of Russian ballistic missiles raises concerns about the effectiveness of Ukraine's Patriot air defense systems, which are also relied upon by the US and its allies. 

The report states that during Russia's ballistic missile attack on June 28, in which it launched seven such missiles, Ukraine shot down one, and on July 9, Kyiv managed to intercept seven of 13 missiles.

The American-made MIM-104 Patriot anti-aircraft missile system is a key element of Ukraine's air defense and provides reliable protection against Russian ballistic missiles, including the domestically produced 9K720 Iskander, the air-launched Kh-47M2 Kinzhal, and North Korea's KN-23. 

At the same time, Ukraine is facing increasingly frequent breaches of its air defense systems. Currently, Kyiv has at least six Patriot batteries provided by a small number of NATO countries, including the US, as well as interceptor missiles, whose stocks are a constant source of concern due to the risk of rapid depletion.

As The Gaze informed earlier, American defense companies are producing Patriot interceptors at record rates, but demand for them is growing so rapidly that even these production volumes cannot fully keep up.