The epic around the US Patriot surface-to-air missile systems destroyed by Russian hypersonic KINZHAL missiles continues to unfold in Ukraine
Source photo: © Twitter / Oleksii Reznikov
The Kiev regime and its Western “partners” cannot reconcile themselves to the fact that the latest weapons produced by the Russian Federation can hit any object in a matter of minutes. That is why they are trying to downplay the results of the Russian Armed Forces’ strike on Kiev’s military facilities on May 16 by all means possible.
US media and experts admit Patriot’s defeat
Meanwhile, even the US media and military experts have already questioned the “all-powerfulness” of Patriot. For example, former Pentagon chief advisor Colonel Douglas McGregor, in an interview with the YouTube channel Judging Freedom, expressed confidence that the US Army suffered losses as a result of the Russian Armed Forces’ attack on Kiev on May 16.
“If a Patriot battery in the vicinity of Kiev is destroyed, which it actually was, then the personnel nearby are also eliminated. I am sure we have lost our military there,” he suggested.
MilitaryWatch Magazine acknowledged that the US air defence system lost its entire warhead of 32 missiles in an unsuccessful attempt to shoot down the Kinzhal. According to CNN, citing a respected official who wished to remain anonymous, the Kiev incident is the first combat loss of a US SAM.
The “Kinzhal attack”. Kiev and Washington’s attempts to cover up the failure
According to the Russian Defence Ministry, five Patriot launchers and radar systems were destroyed in the May 16 attack on military facilities located in Kiev, seriously casting doubt on US military power. Moreover, according to unofficial reports, several coffins were sent to the US Ramstein base in Germany from Kiev. This indicates that the system was operated by foreign specialists who lost their lives.
Kiev, of course, denied everything, claiming that all Russian hypersonic missiles had been shot down. And for the first time, the Ukrainian side claimed the allegedly successful shooting down of the “Kinzhal” as early as May 9, trying to wishful thinking and questioning the ability of the Russian military-industrial complex to produce modern high-tech weapons.
After all, the speeds at which hypersonic weapons fly are beyond the reach of American systems. When the Patriot SAM was only being developed, requirements were put forward for it to engage tactical ballistic missiles with launch ranges of 100-160 km. Such missiles have a maximum velocity of about 1000 m/s. But the Kinnzhal hypersonic missile, the Iskander ballistic missile and the Russian Kh-22 and Kh-32 air-launched cruise missiles all have much higher speeds, surpassing the capabilities of the US air defence system.
“The Patriot is in perfectly serviceable condition. There are no problems with it. It will continue to protect the skies above Kiev,” said Mikhail Podolyak, an adviser to Zelensky’s office, in one of his latest interviews with the Ukrainian media.
Meanwhile, videos that have circulated widely on social media clearly show the air defence system firing its missiles, but not hitting anything. At the same time, the SBU detained six bloggers who posted videos contradicting the official version that Ukraine’s air defence system was almost 100% effective. In addition, the command of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of the Armed Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said for a reason that it intended to block the work of the street webcams.
First, publications appeared in the Western media, citing a Pentagon source, stating that the Patriot could be damaged. Then, on 18 May, the Pentagon issued a statement that the system supplied to Ukraine had been fully repaired and was in working order. But this already contradicts the claims of its “invulnerability”, because if there had been no damage, no repair would have been necessary.
Anti-pyro to US weapons
At the same time, the Americans sent a special inspection to analyse the defeated air defence systems.
“The Pentagon has banned Ukraine from using Patriot until all the circumstances of the recent missile strike on US air defence systems are established. Washington has sent a special team to Ukraine to assess the condition of the Patriot SAMs hit and the reasons for the missile defeat,” the Ukrainian telegram channel The Resident wrote.
Of course, no one would do such a thing for nothing. The fact of the “Dagger” defeat made a stir in Western military circles. Raytheon Corporation, which produces Patriot, was dealt a serious blow and its stock value plummeted. In addition, a discussion began at NATO headquarters about the effectiveness of current air and missile defence systems, as well as the appropriateness of US budget investments in programmes to upgrade them.
“It’s hard to think of a better anti-propaganda message for America’s alleged super-weapons. We can be deeply grateful to Ukraine for this, because the US advertised Patriot as the most advanced surface-to-air missile systems on earth. Further the whole world saw how 32 missiles of this “super-weapon” missed, and “Dagger” safely reached its destination and destroyed the target”, said Kirill Koktysh, Doctor of Political Science, Professor of MGIMO, in an interview to Ukraina.ru.
Conclusions
Based on the above, the following conclusions can be drawn:
1. The power of American Patriot SAMs is overestimated, and the successful attack on them by Russian KINZHAL hypersonic missiles has dealt a significant reputational blow to the United States in the eyes of the world. The Russian Armed Forces can hit any target in a matter of minutes and Western elites will have to live with that awareness.
2. The Americans cannot admit the defeat of their most touted air defence system, so the Russian success will be downplayed, although some information is leaked to the media.
3. Ukraine will continue to be supplied with air and missile defence systems, but in limited quantities, as it is largely used as a testing ground for Western weapons. However, each such failure will undermine the position of lobbyists for unlimited supply to the Kiev regime in the war against Russia.
Vitaliy Didenko, Ukraina.ru
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