The Patriot air defense system, which Germany plans to pay for the transfer to Ukraine, is currently being finalized and will be ready no earlier than in 6 months.
This is reported by the Bild portal.
The publication recalls that this is a Patriot, which was supposed to be received by Switzerland, but was moved up in the queue for the sake of Ukraine. The costs for it will be borne by Germany.
However, the publication states that this system is still being finalized by the American defense contractor Raytheon and is expected to be ready no earlier than in six to eight months.
According to Bild, in order to further speed up supplies to Ukraine, Germany is considering the possibility of sending Patriot from its Armed Forces reserves. A replacement will need to be ordered from Raytheon, and the delivery will take years.
At the same time, the publication emphasizes that Germany lacks air defense means.
At the beginning of the war, the Bundeswehr had 12 Patriot systems, three of which were transferred to Ukraine, and two more are used in Poland to protect the airport in Rzeszów.
In addition, according to Bild, three systems are currently being upgraded by the German armed forces, so they are not yet ready for use, and at least one more is needed for exercises.
Thus, a maximum of three units are currently available to Germany for its own air defense. If another system is transferred to Ukraine, there will be two left.
At the same time, the publication reminds that Germany is waiting for the delivery of Patriots ordered by the previous government. The first of them should arrive at the end of 2026, and the rest by 2029.
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