Report: U.S. could soon send Patriot missile defense system to Ukraine

The United States is poised to send a Patriot missile defense system to Ukraine, two U.S. officials and a Biden administration official told CNN on Tuesday.

The Biden administration is finalizing the plan to send the system to Ukraine, and it is expected to be approved by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin this week, three officials told CNN. Ukraine is facing daily Russian attacks, and the advanced surface-to-air missile system is effective at intercepting ballistic and cruise missiles.

The Patriot battery includes a radar set, computers, power generating equipment, an engagement control station, and up to eight launchers capable of holding four missiles, CNN says. Dozens of people are needed to operate a Patriot missile battery, and once Austin signs off on the plan, the training will be done at a U.S. Army base in Germany.

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