We build 2 Patriots a day, and assuming the best numbers, that means that if we intercept one incoming missile a day, we run out of Patriots first. And that's not even looking at the dumpster fires that are the SM-3 and THAAD production lines.
Except for the inconvenient fact that Patriots don't work as ballistic missile interceptors, something known about the system since Gulf War 1. It has something like a 3% interception rate.
Don't know if it's true, but people on social media were claiming that the Gulf states use Patriots to take down drones. Seems like a giant waste, if Ukraine's wailing is to be believed.
Not entirely, it was originally meant to track fast moving objects like jets. These slow, small, low flying drones can be difficult to track cuz they can get filtered out as background noise.
The bigger issue is the cost... We spent a million dollars to stop a 20k drone... They can build them way faster than we can build ours.
We build 2 Patriots a day, and assuming the best numbers, that means that if we intercept one incoming missile a day, we run out of Patriots first. And that's not even looking at the dumpster fires that are the SM-3 and THAAD production lines.
Except for the inconvenient fact that Patriots don't work as ballistic missile interceptors, something known about the system since Gulf War 1. It has something like a 3% interception rate.
Don't know if it's true, but people on social media were claiming that the Gulf states use Patriots to take down drones. Seems like a giant waste, if Ukraine's wailing is to be believed.
Drones are not incoming ballistic missiles. They are a LOT slower, and are the kind of target the system is designed to intercept.
Not entirely, it was originally meant to track fast moving objects like jets. These slow, small, low flying drones can be difficult to track cuz they can get filtered out as background noise.
The bigger issue is the cost... We spent a million dollars to stop a 20k drone... They can build them way faster than we can build ours.