For Kyiv, the issue of missile defense has become crucial since Russia opted for a strategy of massive strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure, including energy, now depriving millions of Ukrainians daily of water, electricity and heating. .
Ukraine began the war using Ukrainian anti-aircraft batteries inherited from the Soviet era. Since then, its allies have provided it with more recent equipment: from the French Crotale to the Norwegian Nasams, via the German IRIS-T, the Italian Aspide 2000, the Hawk and, soon, the American Patriot. This set of anti-aircraft and anti-missile systems creates a defense “quilting” : each of these systems has its own logic, with the corollary of specific training needs, combined with problems of supply and management of missile stocks.
To set up the “anti-aircraft shield” claimed by the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, to his Western allies, it is necessary to create what the military call a multi-layered ground-to-air defense, covering both short-range attacks at low altitude, medium-range attacks at medium altitude, and those of long range and high altitude. These three levels must thus make it possible to protect Ukrainian strategic objectives, such as large cities, key infrastructures or centers of power, against ballistic missiles, cruise missiles or even drones.
The Patriot missiles – costing $3 million apiece – that the United States has promised are capable of shooting down cruise missiles, short-range ballistic missiles and aircraft, among other things, at an altitude significantly higher than that of defense systems that had been supplied up to that point.
During the first three months of the Russian invasion in Ukraine, at least 2,000 missiles fell on this country, estimates in particular the laboratory of British ideas Royal United Services Institute in a report published at the beginning of November.
Stinger