This week, Germany announced that it will transfer two additional Patriot air defense systems to the Armed Forces of Ukraine to strengthen the country’s heavily strained current network, having already secured authorization from the United States to move forward with the operation. The news has been officially confirmed by the German Ministry of Defense in a public statement, which also noted that Berlin is set to become the first European country to receive the new next-generation Patriot systems manufactured in the U.S.
Expanding on some of the details of the proposed operation—which will be financed with funds provided by the German government—it is worth noting that the deliveries will follow a two-phase schedule. Specifically, the launchers are expected to be delivered in the coming days, while various other system components, currently undergoing inspection to ensure operational readiness, will be delivered over the next two to three months.
According to the official statement from the German Ministry of Defense: “In the coming days, the Bundeswehr will take the first step to deliver additional Patriot launchers to Ukraine. Over the next two to three months, more elements of the system will be added to strengthen Ukraine’s air defense. (…) This agreement is the result of close coordination with the United States, our NATO allies, and under the leadership of Supreme Allied Commander Europe, General Alexus G. Grynkewich.”
It is also important to highlight that the negotiations for U.S. approval of the transfer were personally undertaken by German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, who recently visited Washington for a meeting with his U.S. counterpart, Pete Hegseth. It was Hegseth who stated: “Germany has always been willing to provide Patriot system components in support of Ukraine. The prerequisite was that the manufacturer would deliver new Patriot systems to us as quickly as possible so that we could continue meeting our NATO obligations. That commitment from the United States is now secured.”
Minister Pistorius’ statements are backed by recent precedents, as Berlin has already delivered three Patriot batteries to Kyiv, equipping Ukraine’s defenses with a system capable of intercepting a wide variety of aerial threats launched by Russian forces. In addition to those batteries, Germany also confirmed it would deliver four new IRIS-T air defense systems in May, along with a batch of munitions and funding.
Finally, it is worth mentioning that the U.S. also announced updates welcomed by Ukrainian air defense authorities, including a new $180 million logistics package to support and refurbish the Patriot systems. In addition, the U.S. has approved the potential sale of more MIM-23 HAWK systems valued at over $172 million—contributing to the expansion of Kyiv’s air defense network at a time when Russian aerial attacks are intensifying.
*Images used for illustrative purposes.
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