Ukraine may face a shortage of interceptor missiles for Patriot air defense systems amid the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East. This is what Politico writes.
According to journalists, the US military and its allies in the Persian Gulf countries are actively using Patriot systems to intercept Iranian missiles and drones. Because of this, the stockpile of interceptor missiles is rapidly decreasing.
Analysts estimate that up to a thousand PAC-3 missiles could have been used in the first weeks of hostilities alone.
The Ministry of Defense of the United Arab Emirates reported that Iran had launched more than 1,475 drones, as well as 262 ballistic and eight cruise missiles into the country. Most of these targets were shot down by air defense systems, including Patriot systems and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense systems.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that the problem with the lack of missiles for air defense existed before, but the new conflict could exacerbate it. According to him, the war in the Middle East will "reduce the ability to get more missiles" for Ukraine's air defense system.
European officials also do not rule out that russian president vladimir putin could take advantage of the situation and intensify strikes on Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructure while the US and its allies are focused on another conflict.
American defense company Lockheed Martin has already agreed to significantly increase the production of missiles for the Patriot system - from about 600 to about 2,000 units per year. At the same time, experts warn that a full expansion of production may take several years.
Against this background, Europe is increasingly talking about the need to develop its own defense industry. Finnish Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen said that the region needs its own weapons production base, which will allow it to provide Ukraine with air defense systems faster.
As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, during the full-scale invasion, Ukraine received about 600 Patriot missiles from its partners, which is significantly less than the amount of ammunition used during the recent escalation around Iran.
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