U.S. ships 90 Patriot missiles from Israel to Ukraine, sources say

The United States has transported around 90 Patriot interceptor missiles from Israel to Ukraine via Poland, three sources told the Axios news website.

The Patriot system.

Photo: Shutterstock/Mike Mareen

According to the report, U.S. Air Force C-17 aircraft flew from Ramstein Air Base in Germany to Nevatim Air Base in Israel before proceeding to the airport in Rzeszow, Poland. The online open-source intelligence group OSINT Technical first tracked the flights on X.

Earlier today, a USAF C-17 transport flew from Ramstein Airbase in Germany to Nevatim Airbase in Israel, before flying directly to Rzeszow International Airport, the gateway for western aid headed to Ukraine.

The C-17 spent roughly 3 hours on the ground in Israel. pic.twitter.com/28N0WlUr4r

— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) January 23, 2025

Israel phases out Patriot in favor of domestic systems

In April, Israel announced it would retire its MIM-104 Patriot components, replacing them with homegrown systems such as Iron Dome and David’s Sling, deemed more cost-effective. Shortly afterward, Ukrainian officials proposed that Israel hand over these remaining Patriot missiles to the United States for refurbishment and transfer to Ukraine.

While Israeli leaders initially hesitated—citing concerns about potential Russian retaliation, such as supplying advanced weaponry to Iran—Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly approved the plan in late September.

(jh)

Source: Polskie Radio 24