Russian media: Ukraine and Europe face numerous challenges in creating a budget version of the "Patriot"

Reference News Network, June 14 According to a report from the Russian newspaper "Vedomosti" on June 10, Ukraine plans to collaborate with the UK, Germany, and France to develop an alternative to the U.S. "Patriot" air defense system. Western media reports that this project has the support of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. However, Russian experts express doubts about whether Europe can replicate American technology. What are the obstacles?

Ukraine is attempting to create a European version of the "Patriot" air defense system in collaboration with the UK, Germany, and France. According to the "Daily Telegraph," Kyiv's role in this collaboration is to develop interceptor missiles, with relevant tests currently underway.

London, Berlin, and Paris are responsible for producing radar, tracking systems, and guidance systems. After integrating these components, Europe hopes to obtain an alternative with capabilities comparable to the U.S. system, and "at a much lower cost."

Notably, the initiative was proposed by Zelensky, who brought up the idea during a recent meeting with NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg. Subsequently, NATO held a series of meetings with representatives from the defense industry to finalize the specific details of the future project.

As early as the beginning of April, Reuters reported that Ukraine's "Firepoint" company was attempting to reach agreements with several European companies to develop a low-cost alternative to the "Patriot" system. Kyiv hopes to reduce the cost of interceptor missiles to below $1 million.

The "Daily Telegraph" pointed out that Ukraine's interest in this project stems from the serious reliance of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the entire West on U.S. air defense technology, which is becoming increasingly scarce as these systems are deployed on a large scale in the Middle East.

At the same time, according to the "Financial Times," the "Firepoint" company has conducted the first flight test of the FP-7 air defense missile, which is designed to replace U.S. munitions. Its cost is only $700,000, while the "Patriot"-3 missile costs as much as $3.8 million.

A key condition for mass-producing the missile is that Germany provides the infrared guidance head. Theoretically, once the supply channels for components are established, the company could produce three missiles per day. However, there are doubts in the media about whether Ukraine and the EU can completely eliminate their dependence on U.S. munitions.

Russian experts share a similar view. Dmitry Kashin, director of the European and International Studies Center at the Higher School of Economics in Russia, said: "The main problem facing Europeans is not a lack of technology; after all, the French already have the ready-made SAMP-T system. The real limitations are insufficient production capacity, high costs, and technology that is not suitable for mass production."

He explained: "Based on existing R&D results, Europe can basically create a new missile defense system that is cheaper, simpler, and more suitable for the Ukrainian battlefield. But this is merely a theoretical possibility; in practice, it will encounter much stricter limitations. On the other hand, developing an air defense missile system from scratch would take years and require huge investments. Of course, by transferring technology to Ukraine, Europeans are trying to bypass their own insufficient production capacity while simultaneously addressing several other issues. For them, Kyiv is not only a convenient platform for deploying assembly production lines but also a testing ground for acquiring the latest combat experience."

Kashin believes: "In this context, Russia must soberly consider the R&D achievements of the EU and Ukraine when planning military confrontations, taking into account the increasingly enhanced capabilities of the opponent in advance. This also applies to our ability to strike European targets, which must be assessed in conjunction with these developments."

Military expert Kolyukin stated, "The Patriot is one of the most advanced air defense systems today, so it is entirely understandable that Zelensky and European leaders show a keen interest in developing similar systems. He believes: "Of course, it is very difficult to fully develop a 'European answer' to the Americans; it can only be an integration of existing systems. While this approach saves time, it will inevitably fall short of the quality of the original."

Kolyukin concluded: "Today, the Russian military is deploying an increasing number of strike weapons, some of which—primarily ballistic missiles—can only be intercepted by the 'Patriot' system. We must develop tools that can break through air defense and missile defense systems at an accelerated pace: hypersonic weapons and maneuverable warheads; against them, Western systems will be helpless." (Translated by He Yingjun)