International
Patriot missiles, key anti-missile systems for the defense of the Ukrainian sky
The Patriot missiles, whose shipment to Ukraine has been announced in recent hours by the President of the United States, Donald Trump, who specified that his European allies “will pay for it”, are one of the main anti-ballistic defense systems of the United States Army and serve to intercept attacks launched by adversaries by land and air.
The Patriot missile, designed in the late 1970s by Raytheon originally as an anti-aircraft defense weapon, was modified in the late 1980s to counter short-range ballistic missiles.
They were not tested in combat until 1991, during the Gulf War, when they achieved fame by becoming an almost infallible weapon to now intercept and destroy the Scud missiles used by Iraq, of Soviet manufacture and much slower.
His first operation, on February 18, 1991, was the shooting down at about 5,000 meters high of a Scud missile launched from Iraq against the Saudi base in Dahran.
The Patriot system is a 2.25-meter-long missile, powered by a single-stage rocket, which weighs almost a ton and operates at three times the speed of sound (Mach 3) with a range of 70 kilometers.
The Patriot that was used in the Gulf War was carrying a 90-kilogram explosive charge that exploded by a proximity detonator with such force that the explosion and splinters destroyed the missile against which it was fired.
Since then, the system has undergone modifications that have given it greater precision and that have allowed it to increase its effectiveness not only against ballistic missiles but also against the so-called “cruise”, which have their own navigation means and change course during the flight.
Currently, the Patriot ground-to-air guided weapons system can “eliminate aircraft, helicopters and high-speed ballistic and cruise missiles,” which is possible up to “a height of 20 kilometers and a distance of 60 kilometers.”
A Patriot missile costs about 3 million dollars – three times more than a NASAMS missile (Advanced National Ground-to-Air Missile System), another of the systems that Ukraine has been using.
The Patriot system comprises a radar station, a control system and the missile launchers.
In December 2022, the United States Government, under the presidency of Joe Biden, authorized the dispatch of the Patriot missile system to Ukraine.
The supply only included an anti-aircraft battery, which includes a radar that detects and follows the target, computers, generators and a control station, in addition to eight mini-shing with four missiles ready to fire.
The North American shipment was joined by two other Patriot systems from Germany and the Netherlands, which arrived in Ukraine in April 2023.
A month later, Russia claimed to have destroyed a Patriot anti-aircraft battery in Kiev, which, however, was operational again a few days later, according to the Pentagon.
In their first month of activity alone, Patriot systems sent to Ukraine shot down more than 80 targets, including seven Russian Kinzhal supersonic missiles, according to the Ukrainian Air Force.
The first Patriots shipments have been followed by others throughout the war, including those supplied by Spain and Romania to Ukraine.
With the arrival of Donald Trump to the US presidency last January, military aid from the United States was suspended, and although Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky showed his interest in buying ten Patriot systems, Trump disdained the possibility.
However, at the end of June Trump changed his mind and opened up to the possibility of supplying these missiles to Ukraine, and finally last Sunday he announced that he will send them, but that his European allies “will pay for it.”
International
U.S. strike in Caribbean kills three suspected drug traffickers
A U.S. strike on a suspected drug-smuggling vessel in the Caribbean killed three people on Saturday, according to Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth, marking the latest in a series of attacks in international waters.
The United States has deployed ships to the Caribbean and sent fighter jets to Puerto Rico as part of a large military force that Washington says is aimed at curbing drug trafficking.
“This vessel, like all the others, was known to our intelligence for being involved in illicit narcotics smuggling,” Hegseth stated on X. “Three narcoterrorists were aboard the vessel during the attack, which took place in international waters,” he added.
Experts argue that the attacks, which began in early September, amount to extrajudicial executions, even if the targets are known traffickers.
Washington has yet to publicly provide evidence that the targeted individuals were actively smuggling drugs or posed a threat to the United States.
Hegseth said the U.S. would continue “hunting… and killing” suspected traffickers. He also shared video footage of the strike, showing the vessel being hit and engulfed in flames. As in previous videos, sections of the ship were blurred, making it impossible to verify the number of people on board.
The United Nations called on Friday for Washington to halt its attacks.
International
At least 23 killed in Sonora supermarket blast, including minors
At least 23 people were killed and 11 others injured in an explosion at a supermarket in Hermosillo, in the northern Mexican state of Sonora, local authorities reported on Saturday.
“So far, there are 23 confirmed deaths and 11 injured, including minors,” said Sonora Governor Alfonso Durazo in a video message. He added that the injured are receiving treatment in various hospitals across the city.
“I have ordered a thorough and transparent investigation to determine the causes of the incident and assign responsibility where appropriate,” Durazo said.
The explosion occurred at a Waldo’s store in downtown Hermosillo. Local authorities confirmed that the incident was not an attack nor related to any violent act against civilians.
Meanwhile, Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum expressed her condolences on X, offering sympathy to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives.
International
Floods in Central Vietnam leave 28 dead, thousands displaced
The death toll from heavy rains and flooding in central Vietnam has risen to 28, with six people reported missing and 43 injured, local newspaper VnExpress reported Friday night.
More than 22,100 homes remain flooded, primarily in the cities of Hue and Da Nang. Floods and landslides have destroyed or swept away 91 houses and damaged another 181, the report added.
Around 245,000 households are still without electricity, particularly in Da Nang, where over 225,000 homes are affected.
Additionally, 80 stretches of national highways are blocked or disrupted due to landslides. Authorities expect the flooding to continue for another day or two in the region.
U.S. strike in Caribbean kills three suspected drug traffickers
At least 23 killed in Sonora supermarket blast, including minors
Floods in Central Vietnam leave 28 dead, thousands displaced
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