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US Sends 90 Patriot Missiles to Ukraine

The US has shipped approximately 90 Patriot air defense missiles to the Ukrainian Armed Forces amidst the country’s conflict with Russia.

The interceptors were sourced from the American military’s stockpile stored in Israeli territory, according to Axios.

Delivery involved several US Air Force C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft that collected the weapons from a southern Israeli air base.

The fleet landed in Rzeszów, eastern Poland, where primary military and humanitarian assistance deliveries pass through into Ukraine.

For Kharkiv’s Defense

Washington’s plan to send Patriot missiles to Kyiv surfaced in June 2024 as the Biden administration’s response to a request from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

During that time, the Ukrainian government said it needed the capability to bolster firepower, particularly in the eastern Kharkiv region.

Ex-Israeli Systems Included

Parts of the latest donation incorporated units decommissioned by the Israel Defense Forces last April.

By September, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed a project that would send back the used Patriots to the US for refurbishment before their transfer to Ukraine.

German Patriots in Poland

Days before the American package, Germany stationed its own Patriot air defense systems in Rzeszów, further securing passage of aid and equipment to war-torn Ukraine.

Additionally, Berlin will couple the ground-based firepower with air policing and in-flight refueling missions in Poland.

Editor’s note: a previous version of this story incorrectly stated that the US sent Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine.

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