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Ukraine urgently needs more air defense systems. However, as Politico writes, it fears that growing global demand for interceptor missiles—driven by the war with Iran and Europe’s rearmament—could leave it without necessary supplies.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in Berlin that Europe does not have sufficient production capacity. Because of this, Kyiv continues to rely on U.S. Patriot systems and is seeking additional deliveries of Franco-German SAMP/T systems. Ukraine is also working on its own missile defense systems to reduce dependence on foreign suppliers.
According to the report, during Zelenskyy’s visit to Berlin, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov signed a €4 billion defense cooperation agreement with Germany. It includes a contract with Raytheon, the manufacturer of Patriot systems, for the supply of several hundred PAC-2 missiles, which will be produced in Germany, for these systems.
PAC-2 missiles destroy targets by detonating near them, while PAC-3 missiles hit them directly, making them more precise and better suited for intercepting ballistic threats. A Raytheon representative told Hartpunkt that production is planned so deliveries can begin in 2027. The agreement also includes 36 short- and medium-range IRIS-T launchers from Germany’s Diehl Defence.
Politico notes that Ukraine has achieved significant success in intercepting daily Russian drone attacks, regularly shooting down more than 90% of them. However, intercepting ballistic missiles remains much more difficult, as they rise to the edge of the atmosphere and then descend at very high speed toward their targets. Due to their speed and trajectory, such missiles require rare air defense systems like Patriot or SAMP/T.
However, Ukraine is not the only country seeking more missile defense systems. According to the U.S. Payne Institute, the United States and its allies fired 1,802 Patriot interceptor missiles in the first 16 days of the war against Iran. This is twice as many as Ukraine used over four years of war against Russia.
In response, the Pentagon signed a $4.7 billion contract with Lockheed Martin to increase PAC-3 production from about 600 to 2,000 units per year. European countries are also strengthening their defenses and developing their own systems while continuing support for Ukraine.
Despite increased assistance and deliveries of systems such as SAMP/T, production remains limited and expansion is slow. As a result, Ukraine remains heavily dependent on Patriot systems.
Kyiv is also developing its own air defense systems. According to Reuters, the company Fire Point is working on a missile defense system and plans to bring it into service next year. Co-founder Denys Shtilerman said the goal is to make an interceptor missile costing under $1 million—about four times cheaper than PAC-3.
These developments are still at an early stage. The company is also seeking cooperation with European partners in radar, guidance systems, and communications, as it lacks sufficient in-house expertise in these areas.
Zelenskyy stated that creating an effective domestic air defense system capable of countering ballistic missiles is an essential goal, although Ukraine still depends on Western supplies.
Russia, meanwhile, is changing its tactics in the war against Ukraine and attempting to exhaust Ukrainian air defense systems, particularly amid a possible shortage of American Patriot missiles due to the U.S. conflict with Iran. Since the start of the full-scale invasion, Moscow has mainly carried out mass nighttime drone and missile attacks. Over the past month, however, it has launched a record number of drones—over 6,500—and in the last two weeks has also repeatedly conducted daytime strikes, firing additional drones and missiles after nighttime attacks.
Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson Colonel Yurii Ihnat said these recent attacks are likely a deliberate attempt to force Ukraine to use expensive defense assets, particularly PAC-3 missiles used in Patriot systems.
