The Netherlands hands over three Patriot launchers to Ukraine

The Netherlands has transferred three Patriot air defense launchers to Ukraine as part of military assistance.

Ruben Brekelmans, the country’s Defense Minister, announced this on November 28.

He also posted a photo of the shipment of the equipment in his Twitter post.

“We have transferred three Patriot launchers. They save lives and protect vital infrastructure. It has been and remains in our common interest to stop Russian aggression,” Brekelmans emphasized.

The Minister also noted that Ukrainians are facing a difficult winter due to Russian attacks.

In September, Brekelmans announced the Netherlands’ plans to supply Ukraine with three Patriot missile launchers in the near future.

“We have recently delivered a radar for the Patriot system to Ukraine. In addition, we will deliver three launchers very soon. Kyiv can use these components immediately by integrating them into its existing Patriot systems,” the Dutch minister stated at the time.

Patriot from the Netherlands

At the end of May this year, the Netherlands announced its intention to cooperate with allies to form a joint battery of Patriot air defense missile systems to be transferred to Ukraine to help strengthen its air defense against the backdrop of constant Russian drone and missile attacks.

Prior to that, Mark Rutte, the then Prime Minister of the Netherlands, also proposed the idea of Western countries buying Patriot air defense systems for Ukraine from states that have them but do not want to provide them to Kyiv.

The government then agreed to provide three launchers and the AN/MPQ-53 radar system as part of the project. Other countries would have to provide a control center, additional launchers, and support equipment.

However, three months after this announcement, none of the allied countries joined the initiative. Hence, the Dutch government decided to provide Ukraine with the allocated system elements without waiting for a full-fledged SAM battery to be formed.

In addition, the Dutch Ministry of Defense and DeltaQuad will supply Ukraine with reconnaissance drones worth EUR 42.6 million.