Transfer of 8 Patriot systems to Ukraine by US, Israel is long process - military expert

He expressed his opinion on Espreso TV.

"The discussion about the transfer of Patriot systems to Ukraine is primarily related to Israel's plans to get rid of these systems. These are PAC-2 systems originally designed solely for combating aerodynamic targets. It's worth noting that these older systems are 33 years old. We're talking about 8 batteries of Patriot systems of the PAC-2 variant, which represent a substantial force that could potentially help Ukraine defend its cities from aerial threats. Israel is replacing these systems in its army with more modern, Israeli-made ones that use cheaper and more efficient missiles," the military expert noted.

According to him, these Patriot systems have been modernized for 20 years. Experts say that through this modernization, they have been capable of shooting down ballistic targets. However, the number of modernized systems and the extent of their capabilities are still under discussion among experts.

"Theoretically, we could get these systems, but it might take a long time. Israel hasn't supplied lethal weapons to Ukraine because of its special relationship with Russia. The process of getting Patriot batteries to Ukraine might involve the United States. The systems could be sent to the U.S. for modernization before coming to Ukraine, which could take months or years. However, many missiles that Israel no longer needs could come with these systems. Through this complex process, we could get missiles for the Patriot systems, which would greatly enhance our capabilities," said the development director of Defense Express.

• The US and Israel are negotiating with Ukraine to provide it with up to 8 Patriot air defense systems to protect it from Russian attacks.