Lockheed, Raytheon explore feasibility of producing PAC-3 missiles in Ukraine
Patriot SAM launcher (Photo: Dominika Zarzycka / NurPhoto via Reuters)
Two U.S. makers of interceptor missiles for Patriot
air defense systems are in the early stages of assessing whether the
weapons could be produced in Ukraine, company executives said at the
Farnborough Airshow.
The discussions, the companies said, come weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump pledged to grant a license allowing Ukraine to manufacture Patriot missiles, Aviation Week reported on July 20.
Ukraine relies heavily on Patriots to counter Russian ballistic missiles, though the costly interceptors are also in high demand by the United States and its allies, especially in the Middle East.
Lockheed Martin and RTX (formerly Raytheon Technologies Corporation) told reporters that they are in talks with the U.S. government about how production might be established overseas.
“All I could say is it's early, and we're having discussions with the U.S. Army and, basically, we're going to support the U.S. Army and the administration on what they want to go do,” the report quoted Tim Cahill, head of Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control.
“So, I believe they're evaluating options, and we will support each of those options and do what needs to be done based upon that. But it's just too early to tell.”
Lockheed Martin builds the PAC‑3 MSE interceptor, which uses a seeker made by Boeing. The company announced development of a cheaper variant, the PAC‑3 ACE, aimed at costing less than half of the PAC‑3 MSE. Cahill said any plan would likely involve producing a new missile in Europe or other partner countries using less complex components than the PAC‑3 MSE, including finding a new seeker supplier. He would not speculate whether the ACE would be tied specifically to a Ukrainian production license.
RTX, which makes the Patriot launcher and the PAC‑2 GEM‑T interceptor, is also at the initial discussion stage. Tom Laliberty, chief of Raytheon’s Land and Air Defense Systems unit, told reporters that the process has just begun and the company will follow the direction set by the U.S. government.
“With Ukraine, working with the United States government, we are working on all three of those kinds of lines of effort to determine what is feasible and what is best for Ukraine,” Aviation Week quoted Laliberty.
“That process has just started, and we'll of course be
following the United States government's lead.”
The military war may be swinging in our favor, but the information war continues.
Just as an army needs soldiers, so does a free society need its journalists to ensure that people have access to honest, trustworthy voices to understand the world around them.
For the past five years, The New Voice of Ukraine has been working tirelessly to push back against Russian narratives and defend democracy. But we cannot do it alone.
Please consider supporting us on Patreon for just $5 a month – your donation does directly to supporting journalists and ensuring that this front of the infowar says solid and defended.
Thank you.
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News
