The agreement in principle of the US presidential administration to grant Ukraine a license to produce missiles for the Patriot SAM system immediately raises the main question for every Ukrainian – when will missiles manufactured in Ukraine strengthen the country's air defense.
Defense Express has already devoted a separate publication to the topic of organizing the production of PAC-3 MSE missiles in Ukraine. In this publication, we will consider the technological cycles of production of the missile itself.
Read more: How Quickly Could Ukraine Master Patriot Missile Production if the U.S. Really Grants the World's Third License?
If we talk about the PAC-3 MSE, which is manufactured by Lockheed Martin, then their technological cycle lasts about 24 months. That is, from the order of the batch to the appearance of ready-made missiles, about two years pass.
This is due to the fact that about 400 companies are involved in the production of the PAC-3 MSE missile, which supply materials, components, units and assemblies of this missile, from which missiles are directly assembled at the factory in Camden, Arkansas.
Such a long process is due to the fact that the PAC-3 MSE is a very advanced missile that provides kinetic interception of a ballistic target at oncoming speeds measured in km/s. At the same time, the production of all the main components of this missile is also a rather difficult process, which has its own technological complexities.
For example, the active radar homing head of the MSE missile is manufactured by Boeing only at the plant in Huntsville, Alabama. This is one of the most advanced homing heads in its class, it is created using AESA technology operating in the Ka-band. For example, it is known that it takes the company as long as 7 years to triple the number of manufactured homing heads.
Mastering the production of Attitude Control Section elements, a solid-fuel transverse control engine block, in Poland is very indicative of the complexity. It took 7 years for Wojskowe Zaklady Elektroniczne S.A. (WZE) to start producing micro-solid-fuel engines.
No less complex to manufacture is the Guidance Processor Unit block; the Missile Radio Frequency Data Link, as well as the Inertial Measurement Unit. Currently, the production of these components is carried out only directly by Lockheed Martin.
Aerojet Rocketdyne, which was acquired by L3Harris Technologies in 2023, is responsible for the Solid Rocket Motor. This two-pulse solid rocket motor is also a bottleneck in the production of MSE missiles – due to the shortage of solid fuel, as well as the long cycle of its filling and polymerization.
Rather complex is the production of all other components of the missile, including the steering mechanisms, which must ensure maneuvering of the missile at a speed of about Mach 5.
Recall that in addition to the PAC-3 MSE, the Patriot SAM system uses simpler PAC-2 GEM-T missiles by Raytheon. Their production under license is already being established in Germany. The first missiles may be ready for delivery as early as 2027.
Read more: Poland Gave Ukraine Only 5 Anti-ballistic Missiles to Patriot, Will Receive 50 in Return – Under What Conditions Can This Happen
