To boost its air defenses, Ukraine has received two Patriot systems, one from the US and one from Germany. Ukraine’s previous defense systems have proven inadequate against modern Russian missiles like the Kinzhal, making the acquisition of these advanced systems all the more important.
Kiev said that the Patriot had successfully intercepted a Kinzhal hypersonic missile, but this claim has not been verified. Moscow then claimed that the famous US missile defense system had been penetrated and destroyed by its super missile. This time, the US admitted that the Patriot air defense system may have been “damaged” and had to be repaired.
The US and the West believe that the main target of the Kinzhal hypersonic missile is the Patriot air defense system. At the same time, they admit that Russian forces can detect signals emitted by the Patriot system and then attack the missile at the specified coordinates.
Missiles like the Kinzhal, with their hypersonic launch speeds, are difficult to intercept and are often used against high-priority, heavily defended targets.
Strengths become "weaknesses"
The Patriot missile system has powerful long-range radar scanning capabilities, making it a formidable defense platform capable of intercepting ballistic missiles and other threats.
But the radar emissions needed to detect distant targets also reveal the location of these batteries, making them easy targets for the enemy. Unlike some of the more mobile and hard-to-target air defense systems supplied to Ukraine, the stationary nature of the large Patriot battery makes it vulnerable to Russian forces over time.
David Shank, former commandant of the US Army Air Defense Artillery School, shared similar concerns with The Warzone about the vulnerability of Patriot batteries to Russian attacks.
According to Shank, a fully equipped Patriot battery of launchers, typically consisting of six or more units, requires about 50 to 60 soldiers to set up, then 25 to 30 soldiers to operate and maintain.
Additionally, the Patriot battery requires about 1 square kilometer of land to deploy, making it vulnerable to Russian ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) capabilities.
Shank also emphasized that when the Patriot complex's radar emits a signal, it will create significant signs, from which Russian signal intelligence can easily notice.
A standard Patriot battery includes the AN/MPQ-53 or the more advanced AN/MPQ-65 radar. This radar system is very likely to be the primary target for a Russian attack due to its importance to the overall operation of the Patriot battery.
Countermeasures
The former US military commander also shared some ways to prevent the Russian military's efforts to detect Patriot signals, thereby avoiding becoming a target of hypersonic missiles.
In this regard, the strategic management of radar emissions is of particular importance. To address this issue, Ukrainian forces need to deploy “decoys” that help confuse and mislead the enemy, thereby strengthening the overall defense strategy of the Patriot air defense system.
Accordingly, having many “decoys” and periodically moving their positions makes it difficult for the enemy to accurately attack the real system. However, this expert admits the challenge when Kiev only has two Patriot batteries.
Another approach is to deploy staggered emission times, meaning the radar is turned on and off periodically to reduce overall exposure and minimize the risk of being targeted.
In addition, timely and accurate intelligence will enhance the defense capabilities of the system. These strategies aim to optimize the limited resources available and maximize the effectiveness of Patriot batteries in countering potential threats.
Furthermore, Shank emphasized the importance of combining passive air defense measures such as building bunkers, using effective camouflage techniques, combined with a “decoy” strategy.
Shashank Joshi, a visiting fellow at the Department of War Studies at King's College London and defence editor of The Economist , also agrees that countering the detection of radio emissions with multiple “decoys” could be an effective strategy.
However, Joshi stressed that the “decoys” must ensure that they replicate the same behavioral pattern as a real Patriot battery, including shape and size to prevent easy identification through other sensor systems.
(According to Eurasiantimes)
Source
Comment (0)