War in Iran could leave Ukraine without Patriot missiles

Since the US and Israel began striking Iran on Saturday, Iran has launched hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones at countries in the Persian Gulf. Most of them were intercepted, including by PAC-3 Patriot interceptor missiles, which Ukraine relies on to protect its energy and military infrastructure from Russian ballistic missiles, Reuters reports.

“The approximately 600 PAC-3 missiles produced annually by Lockheed Martin are already insufficient to cover the needs of the US and its allies in the Persian Gulf, let alone the needs of Ukraine,” said Sergei Kuzan, head of the Kyiv-based Ukrainian Center for Security and Cooperation.

Підписуйтеcь на наш Telegram-канал Lenta.UA - ЄДИНІ незалежні новини про події в Україні та світі

The Franco-Italian SAMP/T air defense system, which has similar capabilities, has not increased production quickly enough to become an alternative.

The accumulation of Patriot stocks by Gulf states means that they are unlikely to be completely depleted, especially given that the intensity of Iranian missile strikes appears to be decreasing, but over time they may have to be more selective in their use.

According to Nikolai Beleskov of the state-run National Institute for Strategic Studies in Kyiv, a larger shortage could be avoided if the US and Israel are able to destroy Iran's missile stockpiles and launchers in the coming days.

Russia, which has invested heavily in military production, has fired more than 700 missiles during the current winter campaign against Ukraine's energy infrastructure, according to Kyiv. Last month, it launched 32 ballistic missiles in a single night.

The vast majority of Patriot missiles supplied to Ukraine are provided by European countries as part of NATO's PURL initiative, launched last year to procure US-made weapons for Ukraine.

Ukraine's allies have pledged to send 37 PAC-3 missiles since their last meeting in mid-February. Italy has rejected the possibility of taking air defense systems from Kyiv to support Gulf countries.

There are concerns that if the war with Iran drags on, delays in PURL deliveries could worsen as the US depletes its own stocks.

A senior US Defense Department official confirmed production-related delays in PURL deliveries and said bottlenecks could worsen if the war with Iran drags on.

“We can only produce a certain number at a time,” the official said.

The US can exercise its right to prioritize deliveries to other countries at any time and for any reason.

Although Lockheed Martin is increasing PAC-3 production to 2,000 units per year under an agreement announced in January, this will be too late to solve this year's shortage.

Photo: wikipedia.org.

Читайте также: Pressure from Israel and the US will weaken Iran's capabilities in relation to Ukraine, - Rutte

Читайте также: Netanyahu demanded clarification from the White House