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In an interview with Bloomberg, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte commented on the possibility of Ukraine launching licensed production of missiles for the US-made Patriot air defense systems.
Operative Information Center-OMM reports that Rutte said that even if Kyiv obtains the necessary licenses, this would not lead to a sharp increase in the number of air defense missiles available on the front in the short term.
Key assessments by NATO officials and experts:
Time required for production lines: Mark Rutte stressed that even if a licensing agreement is reached, it would take a considerable period before new missiles could be produced on a full production line and delivered for military use.
Military experts and Bloomberg analysts note that the production of modern PAC-3 interceptor missiles, which are designed in particular to counter ballistic missiles, requires a complex supply chain, specialized engines and precision guidance systems. As a result, establishing local production could take years.
Any new high-technology military production facility established in Ukraine would face the risk of becoming a priority target for missile strikes by the Russian military.
On Sept. 23, the US State Department said that the issue of granting Ukraine a license to produce missiles for Patriot systems remained under discussion. Kyiv continues talks on both obtaining the licenses and securing urgent missile deliveries from allies’ existing stockpiles to strengthen its military supplies.
Russia, meanwhile, said, citing Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, that reducing arms and ammunition supplies to Ukraine from Western countries is one of the main factors that could accelerate the end of military operations.
The Patriot system is a US-developed surface-to-air missile platform widely used by several countries. Its PAC-3 interceptors are intended to destroy incoming ballistic and other high-speed targets, making their production dependent on advanced technologies and specialized industrial capabilities.
