(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) — Recently, Israel announced its decision to terminate the service of the MIM-104 Patriot air defense system (known as Yahlom in Israel) and replace it with domestically produced air defense systems.
The Israeli Defense Forces have operated the Patriot air defense system for 40 years.
Taking the place of the Patriot air defense system, which is being retired by Israel after 40 years, are domestically developed air defense systems such as Iron Dome, Arrow, and David Sling.
The question arises: why is Israel suddenly terminating the service of the Patriot air defense system?
Could it be related to recent reports on the performance of the air defense system in handling the ballistic missile and kamikaze drone attacks from Iran?
In a report recently released by the Israeli Army Radio, the success rate of interceptor missiles from the United States air defense system was reported to be only 25 percent.
The report also stated that out of eight SM-3 guided missiles launched by US warships in the Red Sea, only two hit their targets, namely Iranian ballistic missiles and kamikaze drones.
“The failure rate for the SM-3 air defense system is 75 percent,” according to the report released by the Israeli Army Radio.
In contrast, Tel Aviv claims that its air defense systems have achieved a 90 percent success rate in dealing with kamikaze drones and ballistic missiles launched by Iran.
This may be the main reason why Israel is hastening to terminate the service of the Patriot air defense system and replace it with air defense systems developed by its own defense industry.
Israel operates a multi-layered air defense system, with the Iron Dome air defense system dealing with close-range threats, while for medium-range threats and ballistic missiles, Tel Aviv relies on the David Sling and Arrow air defense systems.
All of Israel’s air defense systems, Iron Dome, David Sling, and Arrow, were developed jointly by Israel and the United States.
What will happen to the Patriot air defense systems that have been retired by Israel? Any sale or transfer of Patriot air defense systems to third parties requires approval from the United States.
Many expect that Israel’s Patriot air defense systems will be resold to the United States, which is likely to “donate” them to Ukraine for use in dealing with the threat of missiles or Russian combat aircraft.
Ukraine desperately needs Patriot air defense systems to defend its cities and critical assets from Russian attacks.
Although the possibility of Israel transferring its Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine exists, Tel Aviv is believed to be doing so cautiously to avoid angering Russia.
Israel needs Russia’s cooperation, especially in its efforts to counter Iran’s expanding influence in neighboring countries such as Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq.
The Patriot air defense system was first deployed by Israel in 1991 during the Gulf War to counter the threat of President Saddam Hussein attacking Israel with Scud missiles.
The Patriot air defense system owned by Israel was upgraded in 2012, and in 2014, it was reported to have successfully shot down a drone launched by militant groups in the Gaza Strip for the first time.
The MIM-104 Patriot air defense system consists of six components: the guided missile itself, the launcher system, radar, control station, power unit, and high-frequency antenna.
The MIM-104 Patriot air defense system using PAC-2 guided missiles can destroy air targets, including ballistic missiles, up to a range of 160km, while if it uses PAC-3 guided missiles, it can engage targets up to 40km away.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) estimates that each MIM-104 Patriot air defense battery is worth US$1.1 billion (RM4.95 billion). Each Patriot air defense system guided missile is estimated to cost US$4.1 million (RM18.45 million). — DSA