"Defender Europe 21" brings for the first time in Albania the heavy American artillery. The American Patriot air defense system will be installed at the Kuçova base. 

Patriot is a ground-to-air missile defense system against ballistic missiles. This system is used in the US and in some allied countries like Israel. 

It was manufactured by the American defense contractor Raytheon and got its name from the radar component of the weapons system. 

The Patriot system replaced the Nike Hercules system as the US Army's primary Medium Air Defense (HIMAD) system and replaced the MIM-23 Hawk system as the US Army's medium tactical air defense system.