Patriot missiler er i skuddet, men utrolig kostbare - Business Insider

 

The US is sending more Patriot defense systems to the Middle East. They cost $1.1 billion each.

Nov 13, 2023, 5:49 AM CE

Two Patriot systems deployed at the German Air and Missile Defense Task Force. Soeren Stache/picture alliance via Getty Images

·         The Patriot is a missile air defense system that can reach aerial targets up to 66,000 feet.

·         It's a highly sought-after defense system that costs $1.1 billion each.

·         The US has recently doubled the number of Patriot batteries in the Middle East, WSJ reported.

The US has sent more of its valuable surface-to-air missile defense systems, known as the Patriot battery, to the Middle East following attacks on American troops in Iraq and Syria in recent weeks, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Dozens of US troops in Iraq and Syria have been injured in the past month due to attacks that the Pentagon has attributed to Iran-backed militia groups.

Pentagon officials said that militant groups have carried out nearly 50 attacks since October 17 on bases housing US personnel, The Associated Press reported. These attacks have been conducted with rockets and drones, officials say.

In response to the "recent escalations by Iran and its proxy forces across the Middle East Region," Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin announced on October 21 several steps to increase "force posture," including the deployment of more Patriot battalions throughout the region.

The Department of Defense did not disclose the number of Patriot batteries it was sending. Still, people familiar with the matter told the Journal that the US had sent six, doubling the number of defense systems that were already deployed.