Patriot from Israel to Ukraine. Details are hidden, but there is a history of the issue and analytics

This is the first public confirmation of Israeli military assistance to Ukraine in the war against Russia.
“The Patriot systems that we once received from the United States are now in Ukraine. These are Israeli systems that were in Israel’s arsenal in the early 1990s. We agreed to transfer them to Ukraine. And, unfortunately, this hasn’t been talked about much. But when people say that Israel did not help militarily, that’s not true. It’s false,” said the diplomat in an interview with blogger Marichka Dovbenko, published on June 8, 2025.
According to Brodsky, Israel has to “sit on two chairs,” maintaining relations with both Moscow and Kyiv. However, Jerusalem engages mainly on issues related to Israel’s security and its citizens, since the threat to them is “colossal.”

How many Patriot batteries did Israel have before retiring them, and why the phrase “agreed to transfer” was used

Ukraine did receive Patriot surface-to-air missile systems from Israel, which were actively discussed in 2024 amid the withdrawal of these systems from IDF service, writes DEFENSE EXPRESS.
Defense Express notes that the wording “agreed to transfer” may stem from the fact that Israel itself received these systems in the early 1990s under a U.S. military aid program.
Meanwhile, U.S. Patriot systems in the PAC-2 configuration from the 2010s underwent the Yahalom upgrade, which included software updates and modernization of the AN/MPQ-53 radar. Some sources claim that after this upgrade, the batteries could use MSE interceptors, but this remains unconfirmed.
It is also possible that Israeli Patriots reached Ukraine via the United States, where they could have been upgraded to PAC-3 for effective ballistic missile interception. Even without that upgrade, these systems are highly valuable to Ukraine’s air defense, including the “shoot-and-scoot” Patriot tactic that involves rapid relocation before and after engagement.
As for the number of batteries the IDF had in service in 2024, various sources cite up to eight. How many batteries arrived from Israel to Ukraine, Michael Brodsky did not specify but used the plural “systems.”
Although the oldest Patriot in IDF service was 34 years old at retirement, these batteries saw very limited combat use. Official IDF statements record only 19 engagements, the first in 2014—a Hamas UAV. In 2014 and 2018, they also shot down a Syrian Su-24 and Su-22M4.
Given Israel’s decision to support Ukraine with real air defense assets, the question remains whether Israel will now unblock purchases of Israeli weapons for the Ukrainian Armed Forces and allow their re-export via partner nations. Previously, Israel was believed to have maintained a silent embargo on such operations.
Israel’s supplies to Ukraine
Since February 2022, Israel approached this issue with extreme caution, providing almost no military aid to Kyiv.
Over three years of full-scale aggression, direct shipments were limited to non-lethal aid: uniforms, body armor, and several anti-drone jammers. The only exception was 300,000 155 mm shells, which came not from IDF stocks but from U.S. Army Europe warehouses on Israeli soil, making them technically American property.
However, the non-intervention stance seems to have been revised
In January this year, it became known that Kyiv received about 90 PAC-2 (GEM-T) interceptors adapted for cruise missile defense. These missiles were retired by Israel after Patriot batteries were withdrawn and sent to U.S. depots, thereby regaining American ownership before being shipped to Ukraine.
From that moment, transferring actual Israeli Patriots became only a matter of time.
It is known that the IDF had eight MIM-104D PAC-2 batteries, upgraded for Middle Eastern conditions under the Yahalom program. Israel began receiving these from the U.S. in the 1990s, but the first combat use against a real target—a Hamas drone—did not occur until 2014.
Due to increasing threats from Iranian ballistic missiles, by summer 2024 Israel retired all its Patriots, replacing them with more capable indigenous systems: David’s Sling and Arrow 3.
As the Financial Times reported, negotiations to transfer retired Patriot batteries to Ukraine began immediately afterward.
Discussions dragged on for nearly a year because the used batteries needed servicing at Raytheon’s U.S. facilities. And now, it appears all political and technical issues have been resolved.
Exactly how many of the eight retired batteries were delivered to Ukraine remains unknown. Earlier reports stated Ukraine possessed eight Patriot batteries, excluding combat losses. If Israel eventually transfers all retired systems, Ukraine’s air defense will effectively double its core capability, allowing better coverage of rear areas and forward deployment for counter-air ambushes.
However, bringing all Israeli Patriots into service at once is impossible: new crews must first be trained. Additionally, the shortage of interceptors remains acute—existing stocks for eight batteries are already insufficient, and adding more systems will strain supplies further. While PAC-2 can intercept more cruise missiles and drones, they are inadequate for effective defense against ballistic threats.
For the first time, Israel officially confirmed the transfer of its Patriot batteries to Ukraine, significantly shifting the regional balance of power
This decision opens new avenues of cooperation between the two countries and demonstrates Israel’s readiness to support Kyiv in the fight for peace and security.
Against the backdrop of cautious diplomacy and a desire to maintain dialogue with Moscow, this move becomes a key chapter in international alliance news.
NAnews will closely monitor developments, assessing the real impact of the air defense transfer and potential expansion of military aid.
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