Ukraine Presses US for Patriot Production Licenses

Ukraine wants to obtain a license to manufacture US Patriot missiles, but Raytheon and Lockheed Martin have reservations, according to The Atlantic. The companies publicly cite concerns over intellectual property theft and technology transfers.

A Republican member of Congress, however, claims that the real concern is competition. According to him, US manufacturers fear that Ukraine could improve the Patriot system and eventually produce it faster and at a significantly lower cost.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy raised the issue of a production license during a July meeting with Donald Trump at the White House. He also requested the immediate delivery of several hundred missiles from US stockpiles.

Trump rejected the request, citing limited supplies and US priorities in the Middle East.

Even if the license were approved, The Atlantic reports that it would take years for Ukraine to establish large-scale production. The country’s defense industry, however, is expanding rapidly. Ukraine currently produces around 10 million drones per year, compared with around 100,000 in the United States.

On 8 August, Zelenskyy announced an agreement on monthly deliveries of Patriot missiles. He said, however, that the quantity was insufficient to meet Ukraine’s air-defense needs.

(Ukrainska Pravda, BAK)