Ukraine's largest steelmaker launches production of Patriot system armor
Engineers of Metinvest, Ukraine’s largest steel producer, developed an armored protection for the control module of the Patriot air defense system, the company announced on Jan. 3.
Ukraine has received at least three Patriot systems from Germany, one from the U.S., and one from Romania. Other countries, like the Netherlands and Spain, delivered individual launchers or missiles.
Throughout the full-scale war, there were several reports of damage to Patriot systems during Russia's aerial attacks. Ukraine also uses mock-ups to protect the Patriots.
"In a month and a half, we created a project from scratch and made a shield from Metinvest's Ukrainian armor steel for the Patriot air defense system crew, which guarantees protection against debris damage to both the defenders and the air defense control center," said Oleksandr Myronenko, a COO of Metinvest Group.
Weighing over 2.6 tons, the armor consists of nearly 200 elements, including armored steel plates up to 8 milimeters thick.
According to the company, the weight of the armor does not affect the system's functionality or mobility.
The company is also producing steel shields for T-64 and T-72 tanks, U.S.-made M1 Abrams tanks, and Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, and is preparing to integrate shields into various Leopard 2 tank modifications.
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