Explainer | Can Ukraine knock out Russian hypersonic Kinzhal missiles with US-supplied Patriots?
- Ukraine is using US-made Patriot systems to defend against Russian missiles
- Ukraine shot down a Kinzhal missile over Kyiv for the first time earlier this month
It was not clear which air defence system Kyiv used to shoot down the missiles, but last week the US military confirmed that Ukraine had shot down a Kinzhal missile using the US-produced Patriot system.
What is the Patriot missile system?
The Patriot, which stands for Phased Array Tracking Radar for Intercept on Target, is a theatre-wide surface-to-air missile defence system built by Raytheon Technologies Corp and considered one of the most advanced air defence systems in the US arsenal.
The system was first used in combat during the 1991 Gulf War, with batteries protecting Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Israel, and later used during the US invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Can Patriots knock out hypersonic missiles?
The Patriot system was designed before hypersonic weapons were sent to battlefield and Raytheon has not said publicly that the is effective against a missile flying at hypersonic speeds (anything above five times the speed of sound).