In recent weeks, as Moscow targeted Kyiv, the Ukrainian president has been asking allies for assistance in producing weapons that can halt or mitigate Russia's most brutal strikes:
Ukraine needs a variety of weapons to counter Russia's ongoing invasion, which has lasted more than four years, but most importantly, it needs a means to strike at Moscow's most destructive weaponry—ballistic missiles:
Until recently, the Patriot air defense systems supplied by Washington were considered the only reliable means to intercept them. However, Ukraine's supplies of these systems are dwindling, while U.S. stocks are also being reduced due to the conflict in the Middle East:
Now Kyiv wants to produce these systems independently. But what is preventing this from happening? The fact is that U.S. permission is required:
On July 8, at the NATO summit, Volodymyr Zelensky received it. “We will give them the right to produce Patriots. In that case, you cannot complain that the Americans are not supplying enough. Produce it yourself,” Donald Trump stated:
If President Trump keeps his promise, it will be a decisive step for Zelensky:
How the Patriot Air Defense System Works
The missile range is from 40 to 160 km, with an altitude of up to 24 km, radar coverage of 100 km, and a single salvo can launch 4 missiles (the latest version can launch 16):
Kyiv has recently been subjected to numerous attacks accompanied by waves of Russian drones, as well as cruise and ballistic missiles. The July 2 attack, which killed more than 30 people, was one of the deadliest since Russia's invasion in February 2022:
Over the four years of war, Ukraine's air defense has significantly improved:
The Ukrainian defense industry has begun to produce its own weapons, including air defense systems:
Ukrainians are telling us that they can develop a PAC-2 equivalent interceptor in less than a year and produce them in large quantities:
However, experts are skeptical about Ukraine's plans:
“Trump may have given approval, but the program is still unfeasible,” stated a senior researcher at a U.S. analytical center:
Former Ukrainian air defense officer Valery Romanenko argued that it would be better for Ukraine to acquire long-range missiles to target Russian defense enterprises:
The Ukrainian company Fire Point, which has achieved success in creating long-range strike drones and the Flamingo cruise missile, is developing its own air defense system:
Last month, the company announced the successful testing of a system called Freya:
