"Three times cheaper": the American Patriot air defense system will receive an Israeli anti-aircraft missile
The American Patriot anti-missile system will receive an Israeli anti-aircraft missile. According to Breaking Defense, demonstration tests of the new interceptor should take place before the end of 2021.
The American company Raytheon and the Israeli Rafael have worked together to adapt the SkyCeptor missile-interceptor of the Sling of David air defense system for launching with the Patriot air defense system. The companies plan to conduct demonstration tests of the new interceptor by the end of this year, according to the head of the Rafael anti-aircraft and missile defense unit, Pini Yungman.
The purpose of such a modernization of the American Patriot air defense system is called the expansion of the range of targets that the complex previously could not intercept "for economic reasons." It is assumed that the Israeli missile, adapted to the American complex, will make the defeat of air targets three times cheaper than its own Patriot missile, which will further lead to the "versatility" of the air defense system.
The Patriot air defense system is capable of detecting targets at a range of up to 180 kilometers, conducting simultaneous tracking of up to 125 targets and providing simultaneous shelling of up to six. The height of the lesion is from 60 meters to 24 km.
In 2019, Patriot air defense systems did not perform well, failing to detect and repel an attack drones oil companies in Saudi Arabia. The Russian Ministry of Defense explained this "incident" by the mismatch of the real capabilities of the American air defense system with the declared characteristics and the low effectiveness of the fight against small air targets and cruise missiles.
Information