“Patriots” can no longer cope with Russian ballistics – Ukrainian aviation expert
Russia has changed its tactics, and now ballistic strikes are massive and pinpoint , which significantly reduces the effectiveness of air defense systems.
Ukrainian military aviation expert Konstantin Krivolap stated this on the Espresso channel , as reported by a PolitNavigator correspondent.
"In terms of [countering] missile strikes, we are heavily dependent, first and foremost, on the Americans . When there were strikes involving a hundred missiles, mostly cruise missiles, we more or less dealt with them because they were scattered across the country. But now there's a concentration, especially of ballistic missiles, in one direction . And I honestly haven't seen such a concentration of ballistic strikes on one point as now..."
And Iskander launches are being launched from operational-tactical complexes located throughout Ukraine, and their numbers are increasing. While there were 48 complexes between 23 and 24, the current figure is 64—a significant increase.
"We can only defend against ballistic weapons in areas where there are launchers and radars that support the Patriot system . There's really no other option. SAMP/T has very little impact on ballistic targets; we have two systems, and unfortunately, it has virtually no effect," Krivolap complained.
"That's why when [strikes] like these are carried out, and this is the border of Kharkiv, Poltava, and Akhtyrka—all the gas production facilities are there—it's difficult to defend. Because it's a large territory, and it's difficult to protect with Patriot systems," the Ukrainian expert lamented.
"Patriots" are no longer able to cope with Russian ballistics – Ukrainian aviation expert