They cost $4 million and can intercept drones 9 miles high: New weapons the U.S. is sending to Ukraine

More than three years after Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the United States is upping its support to the Ukrainian people with a new package of weaponry.

The news was announced by President Donald Trump in response to repeated requests from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Central to the new wave of military support is the provision of Patriot missiles, the U. S. Army’s key missile defense system.

‘Patriot’ stands for Phased Array Tracking Radar for Intercept on Target and they are class-leading when it comes to intercepting missiles. Last month they were used to shoot down 13 out of 14 missiles, launched by Iran, that were heading toward the Air Force’s Air Base in Al Udeid, Qatar.

They are capable of intercepting short-range ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones of heights up to 9.3 miles (15km) above the ground. They can function at distances of 21 miles (35km). They cost around $4 million per missile, with the full set-up costing more than $1 billion according to a study from the Center for Strategic and International Studies. It’s a huge financial outlay, particularly considering that Russian drones may only cost around $50,000 and can be sent in waves of hundreds per night.

The decision to give Ukraine Patriots marks a notable change in the Trump administration’s policy. Having initially sounded unwilling to risk escalation against Russia, recent attacks have convinced Trump to step up the counter-measures.

“My conversations with him are very pleasant, and then the missiles go off at night,” Trump said, adding: “it just keeps going on and on and on.”

But despite the huge benefits that the new weaponry will bring for Ukraine, this is unlikely to represent a real turning point in the war. The Patriots will help Ukraine to protect its citizens and buildings from Russian strikes but they do not have the offensive capabilities needed to make a real dent in Russian capabilities.

“If you want to really stop this, you’ve got to strike Russia and you’ve got to strike deep,” former NATO supreme commander Wesley Clark told CNN. “You have to shoot the archer and not the arrows coming in.”

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