Found a cheaper and better Patriot analogue: only one problem | Business

President Volodymyr Zelensky previously said that Ukraine needs 25 Patriot systems with 6-8 batteries each to fully protect its territory from enemy air attacks.

“I’m not going to say how many Patriot systems we have. I will tell you: in order to completely shut down Ukraine, in the future it is advisable for Ukraine to have 25 Patriot systems with 6-8 batteries in each. I don’t see any secrets here, because our partners already know everything very well, they even know the points where the relevant systems should be installed and work.

AFP/”Scanpix” photo/Volodymyrs Zelenskis

Patriot systems or equivalents. There are several analogues in the world, they also work very well. We have a systematic approach to this, it is completely calculated.

Yes, it seems like a big number, but the territory of Ukraine is very large. Therefore, in order to completely cover our country, even those regions where there are no or almost no air attacks, to completely cover our country, we need 25 Patriot systems in the air defense structure of Ukraine with all the other systems that we have.

According to the portal, there are indeed systems in the world that have similar capabilities as Patriot. One of them is SAMP/T from Eurosam, assembled by France and Italy. But she was transferred somewhere in the early summer of 2023, and talk of her transfer continued since October 2022.

And since then, no one is talking about the possibility of supplying additional systems. It should also be taken into account that no one in Europe, except for Eurosam, produces air defense systems with similar capabilities.

And one of the few air defense systems that have proven their ability to shoot down ballistic targets in wartime is Israel’s Rafael David’s Sling, which actively cooperated with the American Raytheon in its development. This complex has already been used for real interceptions of ballistic missiles and has proven its high efficiency.

This air defense system is really very capable and is already starting to be found in Europe – David’s Sling has been chosen by Finland. At the same time, according to the declared characteristics, it is even better than the “Patriot” in terms of such parameters as the range of destruction of targets and the cost of the “shot”.

First of all, the Stunner missile has a target range of up to 300 km against aerodynamic targets, and the minimum interception range of ballistic targets is 40 km, since the missile uses a two-stage scheme, the maximum range is not announced. The range of destruction of high-altitude aerodynamic targets of “Patriot” is 160 km, and anti-missile defense is implemented at a distance of 60 km. At the same time, even the Pentagon admitted that the cost of the “Stunner” missile is only 20 percent. Prices of the MSE Patriot missile. That is why a localized version of this Israeli missile, called SkyCeptor, should be integrated into the new version of the Patriot PAAC-4.

Also, the contract between Israel and Finland on David’s Sling proves the very low cost of the air defense system itself. Because the concluded contract is announced for 317 million euros with the possibility of expansion by another 216 million euros. And despite the fact that the number of systems is not disclosed, even 317 million euros for one Israeli SAM is three times cheaper than for one Patriot.

VIDEO: See it in Action: DAVID’s SLING Flight Test

At the same time, the fact that it is an Israeli air defense system makes it even more difficult to transfer or acquire than finding additional Patriots. Because not only is Israel currently not transferring lethal weapons to Ukraine, but the silent re-export blockade continues.