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President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that large numbers of Iranian drones cannot be effectively countered with Patriot missile systems alone.
According to him, the cost and production time of the missiles make it difficult to compete with mass-produced drones.
In an interview with the New York Post, Zelenskyy explained that a single Iranian “Shahed” drone is significantly cheaper than a Patriot interceptor missile, making it impractical to rely solely on such systems against large-scale drone attacks.
According to him, even thousands of Patriot missiles would not be enough to stop tens of thousands of drones, as the drones are far cheaper and easier to produce.
“Thousands of Patriot missiles cannot stop tens of thousands of Iranian “shaheds.” One such drone is forty times cheaper than a single Patriot missile. Therefore, in terms of production time and the cost of missiles, it is impossible to compete with drones. There simply will not be enough capacity,” Zelenskyy said.
Zelenskyy added that Ukraine has developed extensive air defense experience during the war with Russia, noting that the country now possesses most components of a comprehensive air defense system, except anti-ballistic capabilities.
He stated that the United States has strong anti-ballistic systems and suggested that combining Ukraine’s air defense experience with US capabilities could help create a more effective system capable of protecting countries facing large-scale aerial threats.
Zelenskyy also warned that drone technology is evolving rapidly and that their operational range could expand significantly in the future.
The Ukrainian leader proposed a partnership between the United States and Ukraine focused on exchanging technology, experience and security cooperation to counter emerging threats.
War: Your missiles can’t stop mass Iranian drones – Zelenskyy warns Trump
