Overview
- Ukraine has renewed urgent requests for Patriot PAC-3 interceptors and a licence to produce PAC-3 missiles domestically to cope with intense Russian ballistic missile barrages that Ukrainian officials say have included 30 to 40 missiles on recent nights.
- President Trump told the Financial Times he is 'not sure' about granting a licence to let Ukraine build Patriot interceptors, leaving U.S. policy unresolved even after President Zelensky’s White House meeting this week.
- Ukrainian envoy Olha Stefanishyna said talks with the Pentagon and visits by U.S. contractors are under way but warned licensed production could take 12 months to five years, so immediate deliveries remain essential.
- U.S. industry plans show rising PAC-3 output under a multi‑year Pentagon framework — Lockheed reported 620 PAC‑3 MSE deliveries last year with targets to expand annual capacity — but scaling production will take months and is constrained by export controls.
- As a longer-term hedge, Ukraine and nine European states launched the Freyja coalition to develop a European anti‑ballistic interceptor prototype by mid‑2027, a strategic but early-stage programme that will not solve near‑term shortages.