On February 20, there was stunning information from Russia. The Russian Ministry of Protection [MoD] introduced that they had intercepted a Patriot anti-aircraft-guided missile with an unidentified air protection system. This marked the primary time such an occasion has occurred in Russia.
The Russian Protection Ministry revealed their air protection techniques intercepted three HIMARS shells, a Patriot anti-aircraft missile, and 7 Storm Shadow cruise missiles. Nonetheless, the ministry didn’t disclose which air protection system efficiently stopped these missiles. The state-owned information company TASS quoted the Ministry as saying, “In simply someday, our air defenses intercepted seven British-made Storm Shadow cruise missiles, a US Patriot missile, and three US HIMARS rockets.”
Whereas Russian air defenses usually intercept British Storm Shadow missiles and US HIMARS rockets, this incident marks the primary reported interception of a Patriot missile. Army specialists monitoring the scenario in Ukraine imagine the interception of a Patriot missile is a primary for Russia. Squadron Chief Vijainder Okay. Thakur, a army analyst, expressed his astonishment, stating: “Intercepting seven Storm Shadow missiles is exceptional, however stopping a Patriot missile is really astonishing. To one of the best of my data, this has by no means occurred earlier than.”
Thakur concluded that the Patriot missile was doubtless intercepted at a medium altitude. He speculated that the launch website of the Patriot missile would have been situated removed from the vary of HIMARS MLRS and Lancet operations, and safely distanced from the frontline.
Though the exact air protection system that achieved this groundbreaking interception was not confirmed by the Russian MoD, specialists hypothesize it was doubtless the S-400 system. On the time of this report, these claims haven’t been independently verified by BulgarianMilitary.com.
“Looking Patriots”
Social media has been buzzing not too long ago with claims that the Russian army has hit a whole unit of MIM-104 Patriot anti-aircraft missile techniques. A video, purporting to point out this incident close to Kherson, has been shared.
Earlier than we delve in, you could be questioning – may Ukrainian forces actually transfer the Patriot so near the frontline? The reply is a resounding sure. This idea aligns with Ukrainian updates stating that Russia has misplaced a number of Su-34 and Su-35 plane up to now 72 hours.
Nonetheless, the authenticity of the video claiming that Russia focused the Patriot is unclear. The standard is so poor that it’s laborious to discern precisely what was hit. One transport car, rapidly recognized by Russian sources as a “Patriot launcher provider,” has sparked debate. Ukrainian specialists argue that the featured car doesn’t match typical descriptions of a Patriot launcher provider. They posit that it appears extra like an LKW 15t MULTI Truck – equipped to Ukraine by Germany – than any recognized Patriot autos.
Russian sources have claimed {that a} car located in a constructing was a Patriot management station. Nonetheless, the video particulars are too hazy to verify this. The featured car seems too small to be a real Patriot management station and could possibly be any inexperienced truck or container. Aside from the truck on the highway and the one within the constructing, there’s nothing else within the video to counsel {that a} Patriot was current. Although there are seen automobiles within the video, it’s a stretch to affiliate them with a Patriot. What appears extra doubtless is that the video depicts a strike on Ukrainian army gear, quite than a Patriot.
MO additionally says he hit the Patriot
On February 22, the Russian Protection Ministry made statements claiming that that they had efficiently shot down the launcher of the American-developed Patriot air protection system in Ukraine.
The assertion offered particulars, stating, “Using operational-tactical plane, unmanned aerial autos [UAVs], in addition to missile and artillery forces of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, we managed to successfully strike a launcher and a transport-loader of the Patriot anti-aircraft missile system, manufactured in the USA.” This info was not too long ago reported in a Protection Ministry assertion.
On the identical day because the Protection Ministry assertion, Russian army bloggers claimed, through a social media video, that Russian missiles had struck a compound in Chernobaivka, Kherson Oblast. This compound is thought to deal with Patriot missile parts and a command heart. Nonetheless, pro-Ukrainian bloggers contested these claims, declaring that the video appeared to point out solely a cargo truck being affected.
The Patriot is an issue for Russia
You may already know, by means of varied on-line discussions, that the Patriot missile protection techniques are thought of the principle brokers answerable for downing seven of Russia’s fighter jets in only one week. These techniques are considered firing PAC-2 missiles that may journey as much as a whopping 90 miles.
Quite a few movies are circulating on totally different social media channels, allegedly exhibiting a Patriot missile hitting a Su-34 jet. As reported by the EurAsian Instances, Russia has misplaced 5 Su-34 Fullback fighter bombers and two Su-35 Flanker-E jets in a week. There’s some hypothesis that the Patriots could be retaliating towards Russian air protection techniques, after intercepting a Su-34 armed with UPMC bombs.
Right here’s one thing to consider: Ukraine’s Patriot missile protection techniques, put in simply final summer season, have been a vital disruption for the Russian Air Drive. Based on sources from the Ukrainian battle monitoring group, these Patriot techniques have taken down a number of plane, leaving a notable influence on Russian operations.
The A-50 fell sufferer to the Patriot
Let’s take a journey down reminiscence lane to December 2023. A Su-30 SM Flanker was escorting a Su-24M on a army operation when, unexpectedly, the Su-24M bomber jet was shot down by a US-made Patriot missile launched by Ukraine. Not too way back, Ukraine’s Army chief, Gen Valerii Zaluzhnyi, reported that an A-50 long-range radar detection plane and an Il-22 management airplane had been “destroyed”. However the information was rapidly adopted by critical accusations from Russia. They alleged Ukraine used a Patriot to strike down a Russian Il-76 army transport airplane carrying Ukrainian Prisoners of Warfare [PoW] from the sky.
Investigative groups in Russia have discovered that the distinctly marked fragments recovered from these occasions might be linked to the MIM-104A anti-aircraft missile from America’s Patriot system.
This explicit missile is thought to be a product of collaboration between Raytheon and Hughes and is manufactured by Raytheon. With this in thoughts, it’s straightforward to see why Russia has a vested curiosity in concentrating on and deactivating these operational Patriots.
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