According to military analyst Oleksandr Kovalenko, if Patriot SAMs appear near Kharkiv, they will be quickly destroyed by the Russian occupation army.
What is the problem of deploying the Patriot air defence system for the defence of Kharkiv
The Patriot air defence system shoots down the entire, absolutely entire nomenclature of Russian missiles — from subsonic cruise missiles of the Kh-101/555 type and Kalibr KRMB to the Kh-47M2 "Kindzhal" and 3M22 "Zirkon". But Patriot is not used against small-sized objects, Kovalenko explains.
According to him, dozens of enemy reconnaissance drones of the "Orlan" type constantly fly over Kharkiv and the region, which collect information and correct the strikes of the Russian invaders on the city and its surroundings.
He noted that lately the Ukrainian military almost does not shoot down these enemy drones due to the lack of appropriate anti-aircraft systems.
I am sure that many people had the thought: this is how the Patriot air defence system will shoot them down! No, it won't. And here it is not even a question of the price of anti-aircraft guided missiles (SAMs) for the Patriot and the price of the Orlan-10 UAV, but of the fact that the Patriot simply will not see it. That is, under the current conditions, the Russian reconnaissance UAV will be able to target the Russian 9M723 OTRK "Iskander" or, even more likely, a dozen Lancet barrage munitions, Kovalenko warns.
What conditions will allow the Patriot air defence system to be deployed to protect Kharkiv
He noted that in order to prevent the loss of Patriot air defence systems, it is necessary to ensure their total protection.
In the zone from the border with the Russian Federation to the northeastern borders of Kharkiv, it is necessary to create a no-fly zone for Russian reconnaissance UAVs. What can help in this matter? Complexes with a short range: for example, the Crotal, Stormer, OSA, Strela-10 air defence systems, and others, including the Gepard air defence system. But all the same, missile means, air defence systems, are more effective in terms of range and timeliness of destruction. But there is a nuance. We receive the above-mentioned Western models in insufficient quantities and slowly, and the Soviet variants are experiencing a shortage of Soviet missiles and are gradually switching (with the help of modernization) to Western ones, Kovalenko emphasised.
The analyst stated that it is not worth talking about the use of Patriot for the defence of Kharkiv until the problem of defeating reconnaissance UAVs of the occupation army of the Russian Federation is resolved.
