Trump says U.S. will give Ukraine permission to manufacture Patriot missiles

On July 8, in a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, U.S. President Donald Trump said that the U.S. will give Ukraine a license to manufacture Patriot interceptor missiles.

“We’re going to give a license to you to make ‌Patriots. That’s pretty cool. This way, you can’t complain that we’re not giving ’em enough,” Trump said.

Ukraine is specifically interested in Patriot Advanced Capability-3 MSE (PAC-3 MSE) interceptors as these can shoot down Russian ballistic missiles that its other air defenses cannot. The country has been facing a shortage of PAC-3 MSEs and this is having an effect.

On an attack against Kyiv on Sunday, Russia launched 23 ballistic missiles, about 36 cruise missiles, and hundreds of drones. Ukrainian defenses intercepted most of the cruise missiles and drones but failed to take down a single ballistic missile due to its shortage of the necessary interceptors.

On a similar attack against the Ukrainian capital over Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, air defenses intercepted most Russian drones, but again failed to shoot down any of the five ballistic missiles fired by Russia.

Ballistic missiles travel much faster and higher than cruise missiles and fly in a steep flight path making their interception an insurmountable challenge for non-specialized systems. Russia uses Iskander-M and Kh-47M2 Kinzhal ballistic missiles against Ukraine.

Ukraine had requested authorization from the U.S. to produce PAC-3 MSE interceptors under license back in May.

The interceptors are produced by Lockheed Martin, which employs several subcontractors for specific specialized parts and software.

“We ​have great power over the companies, those companies that make the Patriot,” Trump said in the meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart.

“We haven’t informed the company of that yet, but that’ll work out all right. I’m sure they will be thrilled,” he added.

So far, Ukraine has been receiving the interceptors from Western allies. However, allied stockpiles have been dwindling. Simultaneously, the war again Iran further diminished American stockpiles of PAC-3 MSE interceptors.

Last year, Lockheed Martin increased production of the interceptors, but it can still only produce about 60 a month – which is about as many as Ukraine expends in a month.

Lockheed’s monthly production is distributed to many of the system’s users, including the U.S. and several allied countries. Therefore, the number of new interceptors Ukraine receives under current production capacity is limited.

However, even if it acquires a license to manufacture the interceptors, it would take Ukraine considerable time to set up the specialized industrial capacity to actually do so.

Feature Image: The PAC-3 MSE is a highly sought-after air defense munition due to its advanced capabilities and versatility. As a next-generation interceptor, it offers improved range, speed, and maneuverability, making it an effective counter to a wide range of threats, including tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and aircraft. (Photo by Darrell Ames/U.S. Army photo)

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