The objective of a defensive system isn’t to shoot down opposing aircraft. The objective is to protect your valuable targets. Therefore, the best cost comparison is whether your protected target is worth the cost of the missile used to protect it.
—”There are very few aircraft in the Russian air force that are more valuable than the Patriot missile used to shoot them down.”
What sort of military aircraft costs less than four million?
YES!!! The Russian ones that, have already fallen from the sky.
PATRIOT interceptors are estimated to cost about $4 million per missile. https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF12297#:~:text=PATRIOT%20System%20Costs&text=PATRIOT%20interceptors%20are%20estimated%20to%20cost%20about%20%244%20million%20per%20missile.
That’s the real calculus of war. How much does it cost to fire a patriot missile in defense vs. how much does it cost to launch a missile.
If you can get ahead of that game...you’ll eventually win (assuming it doesn’t take years to come out ahead on the math).
[The Russian have almost as many tanks as we have javelins]
The javelin crew goes home. The tank crew not so often.
We can afford to replace Patriot missiles. Russia can’t replace its Soviet-era aircraft and they can’t produce modern aircraft.
That makes the Patriot very effective against Russia.