President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has said that large-scale drone attacks cannot be effectively countered using Patriot missile systems alone.
He noted that the high cost and production limitations of the missiles make it difficult to match the scale of mass-produced drones.
In an interview with the New York Post, Zelenskyy explained that a single Iranian “Shahed” drone is far cheaper than a Patriot interceptor missile, making it impractical to depend solely on such systems when facing large numbers of drones.
According to him, even deploying thousands of Patriot missiles would not be sufficient to stop tens of thousands of drones, as the drones are significantly 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 gained extensive experience in air defense during its war with Russia, noting that the country now has most elements of a comprehensive air defense system, except for anti-ballistic capabilities.
He pointed out that the United States possesses strong anti-ballistic systems and suggested that combining Ukraine’s operational experience with US technology could lead to a more effective defense system capable of protecting nations facing large-scale aerial threats.
Zelenskyy also warned that drone technology is advancing rapidly and that their operational range could expand significantly in the future.
The Ukrainian leader proposed closer cooperation between the United States and Ukraine, focusing on technology sharing, experience, and security collaboration to counter emerging threats.
