The U.S. moved Ukraine to the front of the line for its sales of air defense interceptors — one of the most critical weapons in Ukraine’s self-defense. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby announced the reshuffle in a briefing today, calling it “difficult but necessary.” In the short-term, he said, Patriot and NASAM interceptors that had been slated for other countries will now go to Ukraine.
The White House expects Ukraine will receive these air defense weapons by the end of the summer. Kirby said the number will be in the hundreds, and that the decision should give Ukraine what it needs for the next 16 months. At that point, the countries who currently have air defense missiles on order can expect to start seeing theirs delivered.
Lockheed Martin is fully funded by the U.S. Army to build 550 PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) missiles a year at its Camden, Arkansas, production line and hit a rate of 500 per year in December 2023. While the Army has yet to fund another missile production increase, Lockheed has invested internally to build 650 interceptors a year.
In 2023, Lockheed signed six letters of approval with international customers. There are 19 countries with the Raytheon-made Patriot and that customer base is growing. Slovakia has recently expressed interest in purchasing Patriot, and Germany has said it intends to grow its Patriot force.
The decision is one of the most extraordinary measures America has taken to protect Ukraine since the full-scale war with Russia began two years ago. Despite their importance, both air defense batteries and the interceptors they fire are in short supply. The U.S. and its allies have spent much of the war sourcing whatever extra weapons are available. The White House didn’t specify what countries will be affected by the reshuffle, though it is likely to impact countries in Europe and the Middle East.
