Russia's ballistic missile upgrades add hurdle for Patriot systems in Ukraine — Air Force

Yurii Ihnat, head of the Communications Department of the Ukrainian Air Force Command, reported this during a telethon.

“We and our partners have this information that the Russian missiles that attack along the ballistic trajectory, specifically the Iskander-M, have been upgraded and modernized. They now deploy radar decoys, which each missile can release as it approaches the target,” he said.

Ihnat explained that after the ballistic missiles’ modernization, Patriot systems, which are capable of intercepting targets, may not operate as effectively.

“Another factor is the flight of a ballistic missile along a quasi-ballistic trajectory, where the missile does not fly in a straight line but performs maneuvers during its flight. For the Patriot system, which intercepts ballistic missiles and calculates the interception point, it is harder to predict that point,” the spokesperson added.

Yurii Ihnat noted that these factors complicate the process of intercepting ballistic missiles and the work of air defense systems but do not make it impossible.

“I believe our partners are working on this to improve these solutions in favor of the system,” added the head of the Communications Department.

• During the attack against Ukraine on the night of May 24, Russian occupiers once again launched ballistic missiles and attack drones. Air defenders managed to destroy 251 aerial targets. As a result of the Russian strike, Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa, Kharkiv, Donetsk, and Zaporizhzhia regions were affected.