Ukraine's military is ahead of schedule with mastering the US Patriot air defence system. They are expected to complete the training in the United States in a few weeks, Voice of America has reported, quoting to the Ukrainian defence attache to the United States, Borys Kremenetskyy.
"We are talking about weeks, I cannot give you an exact answer... It's been almost a month since they've been here. Usually, if you start teaching from scratch, the training period can take from several months to a year," Kremenetskyy said.
He added that the training programme was shortened compared to how other specialists are taught. The reason is that Ukraine sends for training those specialists who have experience with air defence systems. They know the basics of operation, the basics of air defence systems, so they don't need to be taught the basic elements.
The Ukrainians are trained at a base where all American specialists who maintain Patriot systems are trained, as well as specialists from the countries that receive these systems.
The training programme envisages that the Ukrainians will be ready to become instructors for other military personnel upon their return home.
"This system will significantly enhance the capabilities of our air defence, especially in the fight against ballistic missiles. Therefore, this is a significant improvement in the capabilities of our air defence system. Of course, the system we are getting is not enough. We are working to get more, we are ready, we have more specialists whom we are ready to send for training. So the question is to get additional systems. We are working with our partners to get them," Kremenetskyy concluded.