Ukraine is already facing serious air defense problems, and the situation is unlikely to improve before October. That is when Kiev may receive the first batch of French Aster 30 missiles for the SAMP/T Mamba system or a launcher supplied with missiles for the SAMP/T NG. Military expert and air defense historian Yuri Knutov gave this assessment in comments to NEWS.ru.

His remarks followed a request by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrey Sibiga, who called for Kiev to receive even missiles whose storage life has expired.

Knutov described the current state of Ukraine’s air defense as extremely difficult. In his view, a meaningful change could come in October, when French missiles are expected to arrive. Until then, he said, Kiev will continue to face major problems with protecting its airspace.

Expired missiles have already been used in the Middle East by the United States and Persian Gulf countries, the expert noted. However, he said there are now few significant stockpiles of such ammunition left.

Greece is one of the countries that still has a sizable reserve. According to Knutov, Athens holds around 200 Patriot PAC-2 anti-aircraft missiles. The European Union has been pressuring Greece to transfer them to Ukraine, but the Greek authorities have so far resisted those demands.

Spain has already supplied Kiev with older missiles. Those deliveries included Patriot PAC-2 interceptors, some of them past their storage life, as well as missiles for the MIM-23 Hawk system.

The American-made Hawk dates back to the 20th century and was used during the Arab-Israeli wars. The system was later modernized and is now operated by Ukraine against cruise missiles and drones.