US approves $2.6 billion Patriot missile sale to Ukraine - The Straits Times
The aftermath of an evening missile strike by Russia in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, on Oct 30. Ukraine has been waiting for almost a month for the US to sign off on critical missile supplies.
WASHINGTON - The US State Department said on Oct 30 it had approved the sale of 500 Patriot PAC-3 missiles to Ukraine for an estimated US$2.1 billion (S$2.6 billion), in what would be one of the most significant steps to supply defensive weapons to Kyiv since the start of the second Trump administration.
Delayed missile deliveries added to Ukraine's tensions with the US after President Donald Trump announced a diesel deal with Russia and criticised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for Ukraine’s unwillingness to stop attacks on Russian refineries.
Ukraine has long said it urgently needs more missile interceptors to knock down the growing waves of missiles Russia’s military fires at the country.
The Patriot missile system is the most effective weapon to counter fast-moving ballistic missiles.
On Oct 30, a Russian drone strike killed at least 14 people on a crowded rail platform in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, while five died in daytime strikes on two other provincial cities and a late-evening missile strike killed one person in the capital Kyiv, officials said.
Zelensky said on Oct 26 that Ukraine had been waiting for almost a month for the US to sign off on critical missile supplies, as Russia stepped up attacks on energy and civilian infrastructure.
But despite Ukraine’s urgency, it will likely not receive the missile interceptors quickly.
Weapons sales typically take years to fulfil, and two people briefed on the US decision said the missiles – which are yet to be manufactured – are not expected to be delivered until a couple of years into the 2030s.
One of the people said Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence is encouraging the Pentagon to bring forward the delivery date, possibly by giving Kyiv missiles already in the US arsenal and backfilling with the new Patriot interceptors.
Ukraine will pay for the defensive interceptor missiles with contributions from Canada, Germany and Norway routed through the US JUMPSTART programme, along with national funds financed by the European Union's Ukraine Support Loan, the State Department said in a statement.
The programme uses donations from allies to buy weapons, services and training for Ukraine to support its self-defence following Russia’s invasion, according to a Pentagon website.
The JUMPSTART programme was used in August to buy 3,350 air-launched cruise missiles worth US$825 million made by Zone 5 Technologies and CoAspire.
Lockheed Martin is the principal contractor for the sale of the Patriot interceptors.
The US has supplied large quantities of weapons to allies while also using munitions in its own military operations in Iran, raising concerns about inventories of key air defence and precision-guided weapons.
In July, the US Army awarded Lockheed a contract worth up to US$58.6 billion (S$748 billion) to produce Patriot interceptor missiles.
Lockheed has said that deal would allow it to follow through on a promise to triple PAC-3 MSE production capacity by the end of 2030 and increase jobs at its Camden, Arkansas, plant by 50%, to about 1,850 from 1,200.
Lockheed previously announced Patriot PAC-3 missile interceptor production would go to 2,000 units annually.
Pentagon negotiators are pressing contractors to move much faster, with tentative production agreements struck earlier in 2026 at the centre of efforts to increase missile output. REUTERS
