Kyiv Needs Patriot PAC-3 to Intercept Russian X-22 Missile: Ukraine Air Force

The Ukrainain Air Force command has admitted that currently it lacks the means to intercept the Russian X-22 missile which destroyed part of a housing complex in Dnipro on January 14.

"On January 14, 2023 five Tu-22m3 bombers of Russia released five winged missiles x-22. One of the X-22 missiles launched from the area of Kursk region hit a multi-storey building in Dnipro city," a statement posted on the Facebook page of the Ukrainian Air Force said.

Only anti-aircraft missile complexes that can in the future be provided to Ukraine by Western partners (systems such as Patriot PAC-3 or SAMP-T), are capable of intercepting missiles such as the X-22, the statement said.

"In the Armed Forces of Ukraine, there are no fire devices capable of shooting down this type of missile. Since the beginning of Russian military aggression on Ukraine, more than 210 missiles of this type have been launched. None of them are knocked down by air defense equipment," the statement added.

The weight of the X-22 combat unit is about 950 kg. The maximum range is up to 600 km. When launched from long distances, the deviation of the missile from its intented target can be hundreds of meters leading to collateral damage, the statement continued quoting the Commander of the Air Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Lieutenant General Nikolai Oleshuk.

While the U.S. has approved the delivery of Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine it will not be before the middle of this year that the system can be handed over to Kyiv. A program to train Ukrainian crew handle Patriot systems is scheduled to begin soon.