Israel says several Patriot systems sent to Ukraine

Defence affairs 

Israel has delivered several MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air missile systems to Ukraine, a significant escalation in its military support for Kyiv’s defense against Russia’s relentless air campaign, Israeli Ambassador to Ukraine Michael Brodsky confirmed on June 8, 2025, during an interview with Pravda USA.

This marks the first official acknowledgment from an Israeli representative that multiple systems, not just one as previously reported, have been transferred from the Israeli Air Force’s retired arsenal. Brodsky did not specify how many of the eight MIM-104D PAC-2/GEM+ “Yahalom” batteries, decommissioned in April 2024, were sent, but the revelation of “systems” in plural signals a substantial contribution.

Coordinated through U.S. Air Force C-17 flights from Israel’s Nevatim Air Base to Poland since January, this transfer strengthens Ukraine’s ability to counter Russian missile and drone barrages, raising questions about Israel’s shifting stance in the conflict.

The MIM-104D PAC-2/GEM+ “Yahalom” systems are advanced air defense platforms designed to neutralize a broad spectrum of aerial threats. First deployed to Israel during the 1991 Gulf War to intercept Iraqi Scud missiles, these systems, operated by the Israeli Air Force’s 138th and 139th Battalions, were a cornerstone of the nation’s multilayered defense until their retirement.

A single Patriot battery comprises several integrated components. The AN/MPQ-53 radar, or its upgraded AN/MPQ-65 variant, employs phased-array technology to detect and track up to 100 targets at ranges exceeding 100 miles and altitudes up to 80,000 feet.

The Engagement Control Station, a mobile command center housed in a reinforced trailer, processes radar data and directs missile launches. Each battery includes up to eight M901 launchers, each holding four MIM-104D missiles. These missiles, measuring 17 feet long and weighing approximately 2,000 pounds, are equipped with a high-explosive fragmentation warhead and a proximity fuse for maximum lethality.

The GEM+ upgrade, introduced in the early 2000s, enhances the missile’s seeker to better engage low-flying, high-speed targets like cruise missiles, making it highly effective against Russian Kh-101, Kalibr, and Iskander-M missiles. Mounted on semi-trailers or German MAN trucks, the system offers mobility, though its radar’s large electromagnetic signature requires careful positioning to avoid detection.

Israel’s Patriots were customized to counter regional threats, including Syrian Scuds, Hezbollah drones, and Hamas rockets. In 2014, a Patriot battery shot down a Hamas drone over Gaza, marking its first combat intercept, followed by 18 more, including Syrian Su-24 and Su-22 jets in 2014 and 2018, according to The Times of Israel.