this post was submitted on 12 Jun 2024
286 points (98.6% liked)

World News

37319 readers
2991 users here now

A community for discussing events around the World

Rules:

We ask that the users report any comment or post that violate the rules, to use critical thinking when reading, posting or commenting. Users that post off-topic spam, advocate violence, have multiple comments or posts removed, weaponize reports or violate the code of conduct will be banned.

All posts and comments will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. This means that some content that violates the rules may be allowed, while other content that does not violate the rules may be removed. The moderators retain the right to remove any content and ban users.


Lemmy World Partners

News [email protected]

Politics [email protected]

World Politics [email protected]


Recommendations

For Firefox users, there is media bias / propaganda / fact check plugin.

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/media-bias-fact-check/

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

The United States will send Ukraine another Patriot missile system, two U.S. officials said Tuesday, answering Kyiv’s desperate calls for more air defenses as it battles an intense Russian assault on the northeastern Kharkiv region.

The officials said President Joe Biden has approved the move. It would be the second Patriot system that the U.S. has given to Ukraine, although the Pentagon has routinely provided an undisclosed number of missiles for the system. Other allies, including Germany, also have provided air defense systems as well as munitions for them.

The two U.S. officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the decision has not been publicly announced. The decision was first reported by The New York Times.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy late last month pleaded for additional U.S.-made Patriot systems, arguing that they will help his forces fight the close to 3,000 bombs that he said Russia launches into the country every month.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] [email protected] 58 points 2 weeks ago (21 children)

For fucks sake can we just, like, given them a dozen or so? And a shitload of CRAMs? For fucks sake. Genuinely this pussy-footing around with the military aid to Ukraine is fucking infuriating and embarrassing.

[–] [email protected] 23 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

Afaik the US only has a dozen in operation itself that get shifted around gpobally where they are needed the most. So there dont seem to be too many around.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Pretty sure we have more than that in just the Metro DC area. We just don’t talk about them as loudly as Russia does about their IADS.

Also, we absolutely should be building more.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

https://www.globaldefensecorp.com/2023/11/13/u-s-ramps-up-patriot-missile-production-after-ukraine-war-success/

Good news, production was ramped up. Looks like Ukraine also is getting five more straight from the company this year, in addition to more coming from the US and Germany. I think the Netherlands sent one as well.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/11/us/politics/patriot-missiles-ukraine-war.html

US has 14 of them (well soon to be 13 I guess)

By my count, with the three Ukraine has, the two more being given now, five more from the company, should bring them up to 10 batteries by the end of the year?

[–] ripcord 2 points 2 weeks ago

That is good news, although I think it should be double that still.

Thanks for this.

[–] SkybreakerEngineer 3 points 2 weeks ago

Aegis Ashore Kyiv time. Including TTWCS by pure accident.

[–] [email protected] -5 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

While having a dozen in operation might be good, we need the ability to produce 100k of them in a month (including all the supply chain for that!). If the world gets into a war between any of NATO (US), Russia, China, India you can bet that missiles will be flying anywhere that is thought to be unprotected and so we need missile defense on all cities so that nothing is unprotected. The we of course changes depending on how is involved.

I said produce 100k in a month, not have them in stock. That is because technology changes. It is likely that when we (again not sure who the we is) needs this technology will have changed and so whatever existing systems we have are obsolete and useless. 100k systems would be enough to protect us (whoever we are) from today's threats, but they may be scrap when war comes.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

They cost a billion each to manufacture... Only 280 have ever been made...

100k a month would be 100 trillion dollars a year, might be a bit overkill for just one weapon type.

And that's not even getting to all the people needed to staff a battery.

Anyways they did ramp up production, Ukraine is getting five more from the company of the 12 they can now build in a year. Should bring Ukraine up to ten batteries total by the end of the year including the gifted ones from the US and Germany.

https://www.globaldefensecorp.com/2023/11/13/u-s-ramps-up-patriot-missile-production-after-ukraine-war-success/

load more comments (17 replies)