Amid a barrage of Russian air strikes in Ukraine, which has killed several civilians and led to blackouts, the US has agreed to send one of its most advanced air defence systems to the east European country, BBC reported. The Patriot missile system has for long been a coveted shield against incoming missiles for the US and its allies. 


The development comes after months of appeal by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to the West to send weapons to bolster his country's air defenses. The Ukraine invasion, which entered its tenth month in December, has seen the war shift from ground warfare to air strikes amid Russian desperation.


Since Russia invaded Ukriane on February 24, the United States has provided the country with $19.3 billion in military assistance.


While it remains to be seen if the Patriot missile system proves to be a game-changer in the Ukriane war, here is all you need to know about the technology.


What Is The Patriot Air Defense Missile System?


Produced by Raytheon Technology Corp, Patriot is a ground-based air defense system built to intercept incoming missiles. Considered to be one of the most advanced US air defense systems, it is usually in short supply and has great demand amongst its allies around the world.


A typical Patriot system includes a radar set that detects and tracks targets, computers, power generating equipment, an engagement control station and up to eight launchers, each holding four ready-to-fire missiles, CNN reported.


The missile system is usually used against advanced threats like aircraft, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles.


How Will The Missile System Be Deployed In Ukraine?


This is where the main challenge lies for the US. Unlike smaller air defense systems, Patriot missile systems need about dozens of personnel to properly operate them and takes weeks of training -- a hurdle in the rapidly changing war scenario in Ukraine and Russia's repeated pounding with air strikes.


As per a CNN report quting the US Army, Patriot systems typically require crews of up to 90 to undergo at least 10 weeks of training. However, in emergency situations, as few as three soldiers can fire it.


Ukrainians will likely be trained to use them at a US Army base in Grafenwoehr, Germany, as the Biden administration is reluctant to send its forces into Ukraine to operate it.


Which Countries Are Using The Patriot Missile System? What Is Its Cost?


The air defence systems have been bought by more than a dozen countries since they came into use in the 1980s. 


In recent years, the US has sent these missiles to Saudi Arabia and Iraq to counter threats by Iran and to the Pacific region to deter North Korea. Germany, Japan and Israel have also purchased the system.


Each missile costs about $4 million and the launchers cost about $10 million each, CSIS reported in its July missile defense report.


Presently, What Missile Systems Are Deployed In Ukraine?


Presently, Ukraine has received advanced air defences like NASAMs (National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems) and Iris-T systems from the West.


The US has also trained Ukrainian troops on use of High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, known as HIMARS.


How Will The Deployment Of Patriot Systems Change The War Scenario?


Ukraine has so far been relying mostly on Cold War-era equipment it inherited from the breakup of the Soviet Union. 


The Patriot missile system will further bolster Ukraines ability to thwart repeated Russian attacks on both its military sites and civilian infrastructure.


It also  serves a vital political messaging -- that Russia's aggressive and grinding effort has done little to erode Western support to Ukraine. 


"The political message to the Russians is that they can't continue destroying Ukraine’s infrastructure with impunity, which is what Putin does every day. They can't do that without the West delivering better and more sophisticated weapons to the Ukrainian military," Jonathan Eyal, an associate director at the Royal United Services Institute think tank in London, told NBC News.


However, a minus side of Patriot missile is that it won't solve the problem of drones, which are too small to be detected by most air defense systems.


How Has Russia Reacted To The Development?


Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has warned NATO against providing Ukraine with Patriot missile defenses. Medvedev, who is the deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, has said that should Washington provide Kyiv with Patriot systems, they would become legitimate military targets.