Ukraine is accelerating deliveries of Patriot missile interceptors, testing net-firing launchers to counter drones, and shifting to European satellite communications to reduce its reliance on Elon Musk's Starlink network.
Denys Sienik, Ukraine's Chargé d'Affaires in the United States, said on Tuesday that accelerating deliveries of PAC-3 interceptor missiles for Patriot air defense systems is one of Kyiv's main priorities. The Pentagon has confirmed $400 million allocated under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative for this fiscal year. U.S. officials said specific deliveries would be forthcoming, though details still need coordination with Ukraine's Ministry of Defense. Sienik said the quantities currently supplied fall short of Ukraine's expectations, and the Pentagon continues to cite a shortage of missiles both for the United States and other allies. The Trump administration informed Congress it would not use the entire $400 million, and the funds will be disbursed in installments through 2029. Ukraine is preparing for the next Ramstein format meeting on November 17, and members of Congress from both parties are raising the issue of deliveries.
Ukrainian company Ratel has tested launchers that fire nets to tangle attacking drones before they can strike ground robots, according to a report on Tuesday.
Ukraine's long-range drone forces are shifting away from SpaceX's Starlink to the HiSKY SmartLight system. The Israeli-Italian technology is less capable but impossible for the White House to shut off, Russian and Ukrainian news reports said on Monday. The Armed Forces of Ukraine have begun installing HiSKY terminals aboard drones targeting oil refineries deep inside Russia. Russian military analyst Konstantin Malofeev said a HiSKY-equipped drone is unjammable because the system automatically hops from commercial satellite to commercial satellite if the signal degrades. The shift was driven by Elon Musk's decision to block Ukrainian use of Starlink coverage over Russia and a speed cap imposed on terminals in Ukraine in mid-October. HiSKY, an Israeli company with a British subsidiary, is funded by the UK Space Agency with £9 million through the European Space Agency. Serhiy Beskresnikov, a Ukrainian military communications expert and adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky, said: "I do not confirm or deny this information from the Russians." "I do not know why this caused such a stir in Russian media since such technologies have long been nothing unique," he added.
