NOS News•today, 11:43
The Spanish government will soon send ammunition for the Patriot anti-aircraft system to Ukraine. According to the newspaper El País, Madrid does not want to supply complete systems, but does want to supply the highly effective but expensive missiles. According to the newspaper, an official decision on delivery will not take long.
The Spanish army has three complete Patriot systems, purchased second-hand from Germany in 2004 and 2014. The system is considered one of the most effective defense systems in the world.
More deliveries
The situation in eastern Ukraine has deteriorated significantly as Russia steps up attacks on the ground and from the air. Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Syrsky and President Zelensky have repeatedly asked the US and allies in Europe for more artillery ammunition and more advanced air defense systems to defend against Russian air attacks.
This spring, Germany and the United Kingdom, among others, announced deliveries. For example, the Germans send a complete Patriot system, consisting of a radar, a fire control center and launchers with missiles. It is very likely that Western instructors are already training soldiers from Ukraine to operate the systems.
The Patriot (Phased Array Tracking Radar to Intercept On Target) is best known to many people from the Gulf War. Dutch Patriots guarded the airspace of Turkey and Israel in 1991. Dutch Patriots were also deployed in Turkey in 2003 and 2012. The Dutch Patriots are continuously adapted and modernized so that they can be deployed effectively until 2040.
