Trump says Ukraine to be allowed to make Patriot missile interceptors

U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the United States will grant Ukraine a licence to manufacture Patriot missile interceptors, strengthening Ukraine’s air defence capabilities against Russian missile attacks.

• The move is intended to help Ukraine counter Russia’s ballistic missile strikes by enabling local production of Patriot interceptor missiles.

About the Patriot Missile Defence System

• The Patriot (Phased Array Tracking Radar for Intercept on Target) is a ground-based, mobile integrated air and missile defence system developed and deployed by the United States.
• It is designed to detect, track and intercept a wide range of aerial threats, including:
  • Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)
  • Cruise missiles
  • Short-range and tactical ballistic missiles
• The system has been in operational service since the 1980s and is currently deployed by the United States and several allied and partner countries around the world.
• The Patriot interceptor missiles are manufactured by Lockheed Martin, while the overall Patriot system was originally developed by Raytheon (now RTX).
• Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and the European missile manufacturer MBDA also collaborate on several defence programmes.
• The Patriot system consists of five major components:
  • Phased-array radar
  • Engagement Control Station
  • Missile launchers
  • Patriot interceptor missiles
  • Supporting communication and power systems
• The phased-array radar can detect and track more than 100 potential targets simultaneously and has a detection range of over 100 km.
• According to the U.S. Department of Defense, the production capacity for Patriot interceptor missiles is around 600 missiles per year, making them a strategically important but relatively limited resource.
• The Patriot system remains one of the world’s most advanced and widely deployed air and missile defence systems, playing a key role in protecting critical infrastructure and military assets from aerial threats.

Sources: AIR & MDAA

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