Ukraine's Air Force: 50 Patriot batteries is ambitious but realistic goal
Colonel Yurii Ihnat, the spokesperson of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine believes it a very real goal for Ukraine to obtain five dozen Patriot surface-to-air missile systems to protect the skies from Russian missile attacks.
Source: Ihnat on air of the national joint 24/7 newscast, cited by Army Inform
Details: The officer recalled the words of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy who said Ukraine needed 50 batteries of Patriots.
Quote: "This, of course, is a very ambitious goal, but we will go for it in any case. Both Patriot and SAMP-T work on ballistics, and we also can’t make it without other systems.
This is both IRIS-T and NASAMS; these all are the basis of [Ukraine's] air defence, which should replace the old Soviet weapons. Therefore, numbers such as 50 batteries should not scare anyone. Yes, it is expensive, but it all will not come true at once.
We will gradually strengthen our air defence of the Air Force, the Ground Forces and so on. And, of course, we are waiting for good news about the F-16s – we really need these aircraft."
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