(Dan Tri) – Russia’s Defense Minister announced that the country’s military has destroyed many Ukrainian weapons in the past month.
Avia-pro website quoted Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu as reporting on June 1 that the country’s military has caused a lot of damage to Ukraine’s air defense force within the past month.
Ukraine’s Patriot missile complex was destroyed by Russian missiles on May 16 (Video: Avia-pro).
According to Mr. Shoigu, 16 Ukrainian planes, 5 helicopters, and 466 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were eliminated from combat.
In particular, a Ukrainian Patriot air defense missile complex was destroyed after intense raids by the Russian military on the capital Kiev at the end of May.
Previously, Russia confirmed that it destroyed Ukraine’s first Patriot air defense missile complex on May 16 with a hypersonic Kinzhal missile.
The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine has not yet commented on the above information.
Researched and manufactured since 1969 and officially equipped in the US military since the 80s of the last century, the MIM-104 Patriot is considered one of the world’s most effective weapon systems in its mission.
This missile is jointly produced by three giant US defense contractors, including Raytheon, Lockheed Martin and Boeing, thereby being integrated and continuously improved to equip guidance, positioning and navigation technologies.
American-made Patriot air defense missile (Photo: The Drive).
This system is composed of a control station, a radar station for guidance and targeting, as well as a launcher.
The Patriot air defense system’s missile is also designed to be very powerful as it can carry a fragmentation warhead weighing up to 90kg using a close-target detonator.
According to some experts, Patriot’s interception principle will include the simultaneous launch of two missiles aimed at enemy ballistic missiles and fighter aircraft.
At the end of December 2022, the US government confirmed the supply of Patriot complexes to Ukraine.