Raytheon and Lockheed Martin Concerned About Possible Patriot Missile Production in Ukraine — The Atlantic

American defense companies Raytheon and Lockheed Martin are expressing concerns about a possible license to Ukraine to produce interceptor missiles for Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems. Among the reasons are risks to intellectual property, as well as fears that the Ukrainian defense-industrial complex will be able to improve the technology and significantly reduce the cost of production.

This is reported by The Atlantic, citing sources.

What American manufacturers are afraid of

Publicly, Raytheon and Lockheed Martin explain their position by the risks of intellectual property theft and the possibility of unauthorized transfer of American technologies to third countries.

At the same time, an interlocutor of The Atlantic in the Republican Party stated that the companies’ reservations may also be due to fears of future competition with the Ukrainian defense-industrial complex.

According to him, American manufacturers suggest that Ukrainian engineers can find ways to improve the Patriot missiles, and then establish their mass production at a much lower cost than on existing American production lines.

Ukraine requests a production license

The issue of licensed production of interceptor missiles was raised by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House on July 28.

Kyiv is interested in a long-term agreement that would allow for the localization of production of critical munitions. At the same time, Ukraine asked the US to transfer several hundred missiles from existing US stocks to strengthen air defense.

According to the publication, Trump refused such a supply, citing limited US stocks and the needs of the US military in the Middle East.

According to estimates by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), over the past six months the US has used about two-thirds of its Patriot missile stockpile during the war against Iran.

Trump later called the Patriot an “extraordinary weapon” and stressed that Washington must be careful in determining which countries may be allowed to license production.

Production could take years

Even if the necessary permits are obtained, Ukraine will not be able to quickly begin mass production of the missiles. According to The Atlantic, it could take several years to deploy full-fledged production facilities.

In the long term, Ukrainian enterprises could potentially produce interceptor missiles not only for its own air defense needs, but also for the United States and other allies.

The publication also draws attention to the rapid scaling of the Ukrainian defense-industrial complex during a full-scale war.

In particular, according to the data provided, Ukraine currently produces about 10 million drones per year. For comparison, the production volume of drones in the United States is estimated at approximately 100 thousand units per year.

Earlier, Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced agreements with Donald Trump to provide Ukraine with licenses related to Patriot systems. The president also noted that Kyiv had been trying to obtain the relevant permits since the first years of the full-scale war.