Germany Announces Urgent New Patriot Missile Deliveries to Ukraine ‘Within Days’

The German government has confirmed plans to deliver two additional MIM-104 Patriot long range defence systems to Ukraine, the first components of which are are set to arrive within days. Complete system elements will arrive in the country in the next two to three months, with the the delivery being structured in two phases. “In the coming days, the Bundeswehr will take the first step in delivering additional Patriot launchers to Ukraine,” the German Defence Ministry stated, adding that “further elements of the system will follow within two to three months to strengthen Ukraine’s air defence.” “This arrangement is the result of close coordination with the United States, our NATO allies, and under the leadership of Supreme Allied Commander Europe Gen. Alexus G. Grynkewich,” the ministry added.

Commenting on the planned deliveries, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said they were motivated by the need to respond to Russia’s intensified strikes on Ukrainian cities. “Germany has always been willing to provide Patriot system components in support of Ukraine… The prerequisite was that the U.S. manufacturer would deliver new Patriot systems to us as quickly as possible so we can continue to meet our NATO obligations. That commitment from the U.S. side has been secured.” A plan agreed with the United States and Switzerland would see deliveries of new Patriot systems from the United States to Switzerland de-prioritised, allowing Germany to receive new systems previously intended for the Swiss Air Force to replenish the older systems now being rushed to Ukraine.

Costing an estimated $2.5 billion each, the Patriot is by far the highest value weapons system deployed by the Ukrainain Armed Forces, with the financing of supplies having been particularly burdensome for Kiev’s supporters in the Western world. The need for new deliveries has grown as Ukraine’s arsenals of Soviet era S-300 and BuK air defence systems have been increasingly depleted, while Patriot systems previously delivered from across the Western world have taken serious losses. Such losses have been confirmed by drone footage on multiple occasions from March 2024. Most recently Russian strikes in the late hours of July 21 successfully targeted one of Ukraine’s remaining Patriot systems, destroying three surface-to-air missile launchers and an associated AN/MPQ-65 radar.

Growing questions have been raised regarding the Patriot system’s effectiveness, with Ukrainian and Western sources having recently warned that the system has proven increasingly ineffective against Russian ballistic missile strikes, as Russian missiles have demonstrated improving levels of manoeuvrability making them highly challenging to detect. Such reports are far from unprecedented, with Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Igor Ignat having on May 26 highlighted the Patriot’s shortcomings intercepting attacks by the Russian Iskander-M ballistic missile systems, observing: “The Iskander missiles perform evasive manoeuvres in the final phase, thwarting the Patriot’s trajectory calculations… In addition, the Iskander can drop decoys capable of fooling Patriot missiles.” The Iskander-M has been filmed destroying parts of Patriot systems far more frequently than any other Russian military asset has. Significant expansion of the scale of Iskander-M production has exacerbated difficulties for Ukrainian air defences.