The Netherlands will not be able to transfer the Patriot air defence system to Ukraine, as an unnamed ally of the state refused to participate in the supply, NL Times reported with reference to the Dutch Ministry of Defence.
The Department of Defense announced its intention to supply Ukraine with the Patriot system in late May. The Netherlands reportedly had the “major components” ready, while the rest would be supplied by other countries.
A month later, the then Minister of Defense Kaisa Ollongren He said that a country had been found to cooperate in the supply. A radar and at least three launchers were planned to be transferred to kyiv.
Now the Dutch Ministry of Defence has told the NL Times that “the aforementioned ally commitment is not being respected.” They did not specify which country they were talking about.
The Patriot air defense system was developed in the late 1970s in the United States. The Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3), which entered service in 2001, can hit ballistic targets at a maximum speed of 1,600 km/h and an altitude of up to 15 km.
A Patriot battery typically consists of a propulsion system, radars, a missile control system, four to eight launchers, an antenna mast structure and interceptor missiles (PAC-2 and PAC-3). The cost of a battery is about $1.1 billion, that of a rocket – about $4 billion, RBC recalls.
