Television network CNN aired a report showing a Patriot air defense system launcher. According to the report, the launcher had been abandoned in a forest near Kyiv because Ukrainian forces had run out of interceptor missiles for it. But, as one of the chief editors the author once worked with used to say, "you have to work more carefully.”
Let us start with the fact that the footage shows a Patriot system intended for Germany. In the US Armed Forces, all Patriot launchers use a towed configuration in the form of a fairly large trailer transported by an M983 HEMTT high-mobility tractor. The platform carries a conventional diesel generator that powers the launcher's mechanisms, as well as several armored boxes containing communications systems and computing units.
The Bundeswehr, however, ordered a mobile version of the Patriot, with the launcher mounted on a MAN D2866 truck. At first glance, this may not seem like a particularly significant modification. But it is far from that: the result was an entirely new launcher, featuring a modified electrical system, new lifting mechanisms and other changes.
The German version also costs considerably more than the American towed configuration. In return, however, the German Patriot offers significantly greater mobility and operational flexibility than the version used by the US Armed Forces.
That is why the Ukrainian Armed Forces use the German systems to counter Russian aircraft on the battlefield. There, Patriot crews constantly operate from ambush positions and then quickly withdraw to avoid a retaliatory strike.
Ukraine uses the towed American systems to defend Kyiv. The best-known Patriot position is located at Zhuliany Airport. Russian missiles have struck the site several times with considerable effect. A Kinzhal missile even paid it a visit once.
What the Patriot Launcher in the CNN Footage Shows
The launcher shown in the CNN video is loaded with empty containers for PAC-3 interceptors. They are easy to identify: each block contains four missile containers, giving a total of 16 units.
Initially, however, we assumed that these were PAC-2 GEM-T missiles. They are considerably larger, and only four containers fit on a launcher. We later realized that this was a mistake.
What should we pay attention to?
Unlike the S-300, S-350 and S-400 systems, Patriot missiles launch in the conventional manner, with the engine igniting while the missile remains inside the container. Russian surface-to-air missile systems instead eject the missile into the air with a propellant charge and only then ignite its engine.
This gives the Patriot its characteristic launch, accompanied by a spectacular wall of fire. If the launcher had actually been operating, it should therefore show evidence of exposure to high temperatures.
There should also be a huge area of scorched vegetation and trees behind the launcher. Yet in the report, the greenery surrounding the system appears completely untouched.
It is also important to consider that the air defense system is used against ballistic missiles — high-speed targets. That means the launcher assembly carrying the containers would constantly have been moving and rotating through 360 degrees.
As a result, the entire area around the launcher should have been covered in scorched vegetation.
Why the Camouflage of the Missile Containers Matters
It is noteworthy that the containers are painted in the Bundeswehr's standard camouflage pattern.
At the same time, Kyiv has been receiving PAC-3 missiles from the United States for more than a year, albeit through European intermediaries. There is no time for applying attractive camouflage patterns. The missiles therefore arrive in the standard US military colors — either olive or sand.
The "three-color” containers belonged to German Patriot systems from the first batch supplied to Ukraine. These missiles apparently ran out in 2024.
The last time the "three-color” containers appeared in footage was reportedly in reports covering the Ukrainian incursion into the Kursk region. Even then, the launchers carried a mixture of these containers and the single-color containers from newer deliveries.
The journalists also blurred the serial numbers for some reason. Most likely, the crews responsible for the launcher, who brought it to the filming location for the report, requested that this be done.
