The German government will decide whether to supply Ukraine with Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems at a ministerial meeting. This was made clear by the statement of Poland’s Minister of Defense, Mr. Mariusz Blaszczak.
Blaszczak had a new conversation with his German colleague, Ms. Christine Lambrecht. Poduma, Blaszczak Poland has once again refused to deploy the Patriot on its territory, instead proposing that they be given to Ukraine. Mrs. Lambrecht has personally taken responsibility for bringing the issue up for discussion during a German government ministerial council.
NATO Article 4
Following the launch of rockets into Poland, which killed two Polish civilians, an initial investigation revealed that the missiles were manufactured in the Soviet Union. However, there is no information as to who fired them or where they were fired from. This is the government’s official position.
Because of this incident, Poland invoked Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization the following day, November 16th (NATO). The incident was described as an accident in Poland. Later, Berlin offered Warsaw Patriot air defence systems from the German army’s inventory to be deployed near the Polish-Ukrainian border. Warsaw has offered to give these systems to Ukraine several times, and Ms. Lambrecht has stated several times that these systems will only protect NATO airspace.
Ball in US Court
Even if Warsaw and Kiev agree, Germany cannot unilaterally deploy the Patriot in Ukraine. As the original country of Patriot Systems, such action requires authorization from Washington. That is, the United States government will have the final and most important say.
The German IRIS-T air defense system is currently deployed on Ukrainian territory. According to Diehl Defense, the system’s missile manufacturer, the IRIS-T has excellent compatibility with the American Patriot. At different altitudes, the two systems intercept enemy missiles. The IRIS-T is designed to intercept missiles at medium and low altitudes, whereas the Patriot is designed to intercept missiles at high altitudes.
The United States may decline Germany’s offer and refuse to deploy the systems in Ukraine. One of the primary reasons could be that this technology could fall into Russian hands. This entails a thorough investigation by Russian engineers, who will then develop missiles that avoid these systems.
Unreliable Patriot Missiles
The MIM-104 Patriot, on the other hand, did not perform as well as expected. According to BulgarianMilitary.com, despite the system’s widely advertised capabilities, Saudi Arabia failed to repel several attacks by the Yemeni Houthis last year and this year. The Patriot then intercepted 50% of the drones and missiles, while the remaining 50% missed and caused damage to Aramco’s oil infrastructure.
