I'd like a better breakdown on numbers to know if the Patriot's inception missiles themselves are missing when they are fired, or if the problem is more on Russia firing many more missiles.

Other articles only address the total interception stats dropping rather than stats of the Patriot batteries themselves. I know the total interception rate has gone from mid 30% numbers to around 6%.

I think looking at a breakdown is an important nuance because it shows if the Patriot systems themselves need to be upgraded, or if there just need to be more of the existing systems deployed. I know the spokesperson said the modified Russian missiles are more difficult to intercept, but what does "more difficult" translate to in the percent of fired interception missiles that successfully connect? Is that a 5% drop or a 35% drop for the interception missiles actually fired?

Given that Ukraine is looking to the US for more Patriots, I suspect the systems themselves are acceptable but there just aren't enough deployed to provide enough coverage.

This is all curiosity from a public sideline, as I'm sure that privately the ordnance experts have these numbers and details on interceptions to do better breakdowns.

[–] tal@olio.cafe 4 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)

One factor in Ukraine's favor is that I assume that Russia is going to have a hard time doing dispersed production of ballistic missiles.

kagis

It sounds like Iskanders are assembled at a factory in Votkinsk, for example.

If they can manage to hit that with some kind of heavy munition, I assume that it'll disrupt production.

Patriots

well, MIM-104s

are manufactured in Andover, Massachusetts, in the US. Russia cannot attack production facilities there without engaging in direct conflict with the US.

[–] setsneedtofeed@lemmy.world 6 points 1 month ago (1 children)

That's a discussion far beyond the scope of "Is the Patriot in its existing configuration working as needed?"

[–] tal@olio.cafe 3 points 1 month ago

Yes, but it speaks to the "if the problem is more on Russia firing many more missiles" bit that you raised. I suspect that it's probably more-practical to dramatically reduce Russia's access to a continued supply of ballistic missiles than to dramatically reduce Ukraine's access to a continued supply of ballistic missile interceptors.

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