Tuesday, December 13, 2022

About Patriots.

Per CNN and other media outlets:

The Biden administration is finalizing plans to send the Patriot missile defense system to Ukraine that could be announced as soon as this week, according to two US officials and a senior administration official.The Pentagon’s plan still needs to be approved by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin before it is sent to President Joe Biden for his signature. The three officials told CNN that approval is expected.Ukraine has been calling for the US to send the advanced long-range air defense system that is highly effective at intercepting ballistic and cruise missiles as it comes under a barrage of Russian missile and drone attacks that have destroyed key infrastructure across the country. It would be the most effective long-range defensive weapons system sent to the country and officials say it will help secure airspace for NATO nations in eastern Europe. 

As I am on record--Patriot PAC3 is not made for fighting real enemies, which have stand off weapons, not to speak about supersonic and hypersonic weapons. Nor, for that matter, this system is capable to handle a salvo of Iskanders, so, as usual, it is all about PR. Not to mention the fact of inability to build real integrated AD system (emphasis on "system"). There are reasons for PR--situation in Bakhmut is dire for VSU and its NATO handlers and desperate times call for desperate measures. Bakhmut is crucial not just for PR reasons , but because it is an extremely important transportation node for the whole Donetsk operational direction. This is Operational Art 101. 

I explained huge technical issues for any iteration of Patriot AD systems six weeks ago here:

It Is Not Going To Make A Difference.

So, the only benefit here is for the Raytheon and Lockheed to obtain some REAL war data and maybe (maybe) incorporate some lessons learned, which is a whole other can of worms when speaking about learning curve of the US weapon systems designers and manufacturers, in order to improve on what already sustained serious reputational damage due to its constant failures to perform against even backward opponent. So, another day--another NATO wunderwaffe for former Ukraine. All reminiscent of using a band-aid on a blown up body. Here is Brian Berletic making the case precisely on this issue. 

Now, per this nauseating "Iranian Drones" BS. Even Iran is getting tired:

Ukrainian officials have failed to present any evidence suggesting Iranian drones have been used by Russia in the conflict between Kiev and Moscow, the Iranian defense minister, Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Ashtiani, said on Monday. His words came following a meeting between Ukrainian and Iranian specialists. “The Ukrainian side did not present any evidence of Russia's use of Iranian drones in the war with this nation at the technical meeting,” the minister told several Iranian news agencies. According to Ashtiani, the Ukrainian officials vowed to present such evidence at the next meeting. According to the general, claims about Russian forces supposedly employing Iranian-made unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in their campaign in Ukraine are based on “baseless statements and rumors.” Ashtiani said that Moscow and Tehran had a long history of military cooperation, but it was in no way linked to the alleged use of Iranian drones in the conflict.

As I already stated many times--it is difficult to explain to most people without background in the field a gigantic gap in industrial capabilities between Russia and Iran and how Russian economy operates. 

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