Urgent: Israel suddenly dismantled Patriot air defense systems
The Times of Israel said that information about Israel stopping the use of a number of Patriot air defense systems is of great interest to Ukraine, because this may be an additional source for it.
The Vietnamese Soha website quoted the Arabic newspaper that, within the next two months, the Israeli Air Force will withdraw a number of MIM-104 Patriot air defense systems from service.
Israel dismantles the system Patriot
The Times of Israel confirmed Specifically, the Israeli Air Force plans to say goodbye to its old Patriot missile defense systems in the coming months and replace them with more modern air defense systems.
Last February, the Israeli Air Force said that it was in the process of decommissioning some Patriot batteries, also known as Basem Yahalom, with personnel responsible for their operations being retrained on other systems.
The commander of the 138th Air Defense Battalion, a unit equipped with Patriot batteries, said: "We are currently in the process of reducing the number of batteries until all systems are taken out of service"
The Hebrew newspaper indicated that the void left by the Patriot batteries that were withdrawn from service will be replaced with more advanced air defense systems, especially the David’s Sling system and the Iron Dome system that Israel developed, but which failed in the face of the missiles of the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas. Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on October 7th.
The battalion commander said: “We realize the need to move forward and improve our defensive methods. Innovations in air defense systems provide better opportunities for operational and technical response.”
The Hebrew newspaper stressed that “it is currently unclear what will happen to the Patriot batteries necessary for Ukraine, which seeks to protect Its sky is filled with Russian missiles.”
It is known that some batteries of the Patriot PAC-2 air defense system were allocated to the Israeli army. They use GEM-T missiles and are able to intercept air targets at distances of up to 160 km, but their anti-ballistic capabilities are very limited.
According to journalists from The War Zone newspaper, by the end of 2023, they will have Israel has 8 batteries with an unknown number of launchers. From photos online, it can be seen that it is placed on both semi-trailers and the chassis of a German MAN truck.
Several Israeli Patriot PAC-2 systems have been upgraded to the Yahalom version as part of the modernization program. According to published data, the upgrade includes software and hardware updates, allowing the use of PAC-3 missiles capable of reliably intercepting ballistic targets.
Israel has been using Patriot batteries since 1991.
It was signed The first combat operation was in 2014, when it shot down a Hamas drone launched from the Gaza Strip.
Over the next decade, the regime intercepted about 10 targets, including Syrian warplanes that penetrated Israeli airspace in 2014. 2014 and 2018. It has been used repeatedly in the current wars between the Zionist entity and the Palestinian resistance in the Gaza Strip and to intercept missiles from Iran.
- For more: Elrisala website and for social follow us on Facebook
- Source of information and images “rosaelyoussef“
