US approves $2.1 billion Patriot missile sale to Ukraine
LMT•The US State Department approved the sale of 500 Patriot PAC-3 missiles to Ukraine for an estimated $2.1 billion. Lockheed Martin is the principal contractor.
1. Sale approved
The US State Department approved the sale of 500 Patriot PAC-3 missiles to Ukraine for an estimated $2.1 billion. Ukraine will pay with contributions from Canada, Germany and Norway routed through the US JUMPSTART program, along with national funds financed by the European Union's Ukraine Support Loan.
2. Production plans
Lockheed Martin is the principal contractor. In July, the US Army awarded Lockheed a contract worth up to $58.6 billion to produce Patriot interceptor missiles. The company said that deal would support its promise to triple PAC-3 MSE production capacity by the end of 2030 and increase jobs at its Camden, Arkansas, plant by 50%, to about 1,850 from 1,200; it previously announced annual production would rise to 2,000 Patriot PAC-3 interceptors.
3. Delivery concerns
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said earlier this week that the country had been waiting almost a month for US approval of critical missile supplies as Russia stepped up attacks on energy and civilian infrastructure. The US has supplied weapons to allies while also using munitions in its own military operations in Iran, raising concerns about inventories of key air defense and precision-guided weapons.
