US spent almost half of Patriot missile stockpile in war with Iran, - CSIS
The U.S. military has already used up about half of its existing stockpile of interceptor missiles intended for the Patriot air defense systems.
This is stated in a new assessment by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), according to Censor.NET, citing Ukrinform.
How many missiles have been used so far?
According to experts, the United States had 2,330 interceptor missiles for the Patriot air defense system in its stockpiles prior to the start of the war against Iran.
They estimate that the United States has already used between 1,060 and 1,430 interceptor missiles in the war against Iran.
It is noted that the cost of a single missile is $3.9 million, and the delivery time from the manufacturer to replenish stocks is 42 months.
Since 18 other countries also use Patriot interceptor missiles, these missiles are in high demand.
About half of the annual production of these missiles goes toward replenishing the stockpiles of these allies and partners.
Patriot for Ukraine
Ukraine is also one of the main users of Patriot missiles—it has received more than 600 of them from the United States and other allies during the war against Russia.
The American company Lockheed Martin plans to increase annual production of PAC-3 MSE interceptor missiles to 2,000 by 2030—up from the current 600.
Until this increase in production becomes possible, the United States will face a choice regarding how to allocate production to meet the demand of all parties.
