The American company Lockheed Martin cannot provide any guarantees to US allies regarding the delivery schedule for PAC-3 interceptor missiles for the Patriot air defense systems. Brian Dunn, Vice President for Strategy and Business Development for Integrated Air and Missile Defense, Missiles and Fire Control (MFC) at Lockheed Martin, has stated this, according to the Financial Times.
According to him, Lockheed Martin is working hard to ramp up production, but the supply shortage has worsened significantly due to the war with Iran. Dunn emphasized that the company does not control the distribution of finished products and cannot predict the order in which foreign customers, including Germany, Japan, Poland, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia, will receive the missiles.
Decisions regarding prioritization and reallocation of orders are made directly by the Pentagon.
Paula Hartley, a top executive in the company’s missile division, added that during meetings with representatives of foreign governments, skepticism and frustration over delays and the unavailability of defense products are increasingly evident. She noted that the manufacturer understands this dissatisfaction and continues to work on fulfilling its obligations.
As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, Ukraine, together with Britain and the EU, will create a cheaper alternative to the American Patriot air defense system.
Zelenskyy also gave officials until June 12 to reach an agreement with partners regarding the Patriot air defense systems. In his words: either there will be clarity, or there will be personnel consequences.
In addition, the Ukrainian defense industry aims to launch its own production of high-tech PAC-3 missiles for the Patriot air defense systems. Obtaining the necessary US licenses will allow Kyiv to independently meet critical needs for air defense and, in the future, provide military assistance to other allies.
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