Wow! Massive Missile Deliveries Reach New Scale! - RFU News [View all]

Today, there is important news from Ukraine.

Here, after suffering the biggest and worst Russian air assaults with hundreds of drones and missiles, Ukraine is about to receive a huge boost for its air defense. Western allies have decided to drastically step up the production of thousands of air defense rockets to secure Ukraine’s sky.

The United Kingdom announced its largest air-defense package for Ukraine yet, pledging over 5,000 advanced missiles in a landmark 3.3 billion-dollar deal. Produced by Thales in Belfast, these precision-guided, high-speed missiles resist electronic jamming, significantly enhancing Ukraine’s defenses against Russian drones and low-altitude threats. The package includes advanced FZ275 LGR rockets, updated now with laser guidance. They are compatible with Ukraine’s mobile Vampire systems, providing a cost-effective solution for intercepting drones within a three kilometer range.

Additionally, the UK will provide Lightweight Multirole Missiles, infrared-guided systems weighing 13 kg each and capable of targeting slower, low-flying threats like Russia’s Shahed drones at ranges of up to 8 kilometers. Such a comprehensive package significantly enhances Ukraine’s ability to defend itself, especially considering Russia’s growing reliance on drone attacks.

Indeed, Russia’s aerial tactics have shifted dramatically, focusing now on launching massive drone swarms rather than relying heavily on expensive and scarce cruise or ballistic missiles. Recent Russian strikes typically involve hundreds of drones, often combining Shahed attack and Gerber decoy drones to saturate and overwhelm Ukrainian air defense systems. The intensity of these attacks has increased, with Russian forces now even launching large drone formations in the morning hours instead of predominantly nighttime strikes. This sustained pressure significantly depletes Ukraine’s air defense assets and complicates continuous defense coverage.

Facing these daunting conditions, Ukraine strategically allocates its limited high-end missile interceptors, such as Patriot, Iris-T, or Samp-T, only to neutralize Russian ballistic and hypersonic threats, preserving their scarce stocks for the most critical threats. However, the sheer quantity of Russian drones has increasingly stretched these resources thin, sometimes allowing Russian missiles to penetrate defenses. With the UK’s massive missile delivery, Ukraine will be better positioned to intercept larger drone swarms and even some missile attacks, thereby reducing the effectiveness of Russia’s aerial assaults.

While these shorter-range missiles lack the interception capability against high-speed ballistic threats that systems like Patriot provide, their abundance ensures fewer missiles slip through Ukraine’s defensive umbrella, ultimately saving civilian lives and critical infrastructure. Ukraine currently intercepts around 85-90% of incoming Russian drones and missiles, significantly reducing casualties and damage. Maintaining this high interception rate is crucial, as each successful interception conserves limited air defense resources and directly diminishes Russia’s capacity to terrorize and pressure Ukraine through air strikes.

Looking for a sustainable and strategic solution, Germany is initiating a significant shift in European air defense capacity by planning to domestically produce Patriot missile interceptors. According to German Major General Christian Freuding, Germany is currently establishing its national production lines for Patriot interceptors, with initial deliveries expected around late 2026 or early 2027. Establishing a European-controlled production line ensures Germany and Europe can independently manage missile supplies, greatly strengthening air defense capabilities across the continent against ongoing Russian threats and provocations. This step also means that European countries would now be more willing to send parts of their existing missile stockpiles to Ukraine right now, as they would know that they can refill them more easily and quicker in the future.

This move represents a major strategic shift towards enhancing European autonomy in air defense systems, reducing dependency on U.S. production, and ensuring long-term, sustainable support to Ukraine and broader European defense. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz further affirmed this direction, confirming discussions with President Trump about Germany acquiring additional US-produced Patriot systems specifically for Ukraine.

Overall, substantial and frequent deliveries like the UK's recent package with 5,000 missiles can be just the beginning as Germany builds up its Patriot missile production capabilities. This will allow already available missiles to be shipped to Ukraine immediately, reducing its vulnerability to Russian missile and drone attacks when it needs it the...