Ukraine wants to acquire 50 Patriot missile systems.

President Zelensky said Ukraine needs 50 Patriot air defense missile systems to protect cities and units on the front lines.

In an interview published by the Wall Street Journal on June 3, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country wants the West to provide more weapons for its upcoming counter-offensive. "We want something specific and we can't wait for months," Zelensky said.

According to Zelensky, Ukraine needs more Patriot air defense missiles to protect cities and military units on the front lines. Ukraine currently possesses two Patriot systems, but Zelensky wants up to 50 batteries because it is "the only system capable of intercepting some of Russia's advanced missiles."

Each complete Patriot system includes a command vehicle, a radar station for surveillance and fire control, a power generator, a communications station, and 6-8 launchers. According to estimates by the US-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), each Patriot battery costs approximately $1.1 billion.

Deploying the Patriot systems in a battery requires 50-60 soldiers. Once deployed, the only component requiring human operation is the fire control tower with a three-person crew. However, the Patriot still requires 20-30 people for regular operation and maintenance.

Patriot missile launchers were deployed by the US Army in Croatia in May 2021. Photo: US Army

President Zelensky also declared that Ukraine was ready to launch a counter-offensive and "strongly confident of victory," but acknowledged that this could take a long time and come at a high cost.

Zelensky also acknowledged Russia's air superiority on the front lines and warned that without air defenses, "a large number of Ukrainian soldiers would be killed in a counterattack."

Russia has recently intensified its use of missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to attack Ukrainian targets. Western experts believe this is an attempt by Russia to neutralize Ukraine's air defense systems, particularly the Patriot system, and to deplete its anti-aircraft ammunition by forcing it to continuously fire expensive missiles to counter UAVs or cheaper missiles.

On May 16, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced the destruction of a Patriot air defense system deployed by Ukraine in Kyiv. The Ukrainian military subsequently urged the public "not to worry about the fate of the Patriots." A US official stated that the Patriot system in Kyiv may have been damaged, but not destroyed, after the Russian attack.

The Patriot is an air defense missile developed by the United States and has been in service with the US military since 1981. The Patriot PAC-2 variant can hit targets more than 96 km away and fly at altitudes exceeding 32,000 m, according to the US Missile Defense Agency.

The latest variant in the Patriot family is the PAC-3, capable of destroying airborne threats such as fighter jets, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles.