Germany has delivered an additional 100 anti-aircraft missiles to Ukraine for its Patriot air defense systems, as announced by Major General Christian Freuding of the German Defense Ministry during an interview with ZDFheute (in the video starting 7:10).
This delivery fulfills the promise made by German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius on June 11, during a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi at the military base of Bundeswehr's 21 Surface-to-Air Missile Group. At that time, it was revealed that 32 missiles had already been transferred, and other countries like Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway were also involved in this initiative.
Read more: The Third German Patriot SAM System Arrives in Ukraine
Thus, the transfer of all 100 Patriot missiles from Germany to Ukraine took a little over one month. The exact type of the 100 additional missiles remains unspecified, though some Western media speculate they are likely GEM-T missiles, designed to intercept non-ballistic targets.
However, given that the Bundeswehr's Patriot systems are of the PAC-3 modification, it's possible that MSE anti-ballistic interceptors or their older CRI versions could also be included.
Calculating the cost of these missiles can be approached in two ways: considering the residual value of existing ammunition or the cost of restocking the warehouses with new replacements. For Germany, the latter method is more relevant.
Based on prices for new missiles, a GEM-T costs approximately $6 million per unit within European purchases at the joint German-American enterprise COMLOG. Similarly, an MSE missile, as priced for the U.S. Army, would cost about $5.17 million each. However, export prices could be higher.
Thus, the support package of 100 Patriot missiles from Germany and its allies could be valued between $500 million and $600 million.
Still, we shouldn't forget that in addition to the financial aspect, these supplies have their worth in the time spent to produce them. The GEM-T is produced at Raytheon currently at the current rate of 240 units annually. COMLOG is to join in a few years, and it's already been loaded with an order for 1,000 GEM-T as part of the European Sky Shield Initiative.
MSE, meanwhile, is manufactured by Lockheed Martin at the pace of 550 units per year, ahead of schedule.
It's important to note that these missiles are being distributed among the U.S. Army, Ukraine, and Taiwan, because Ukraine had earlier received priority for Patriot and NASAMS missiles from Washington.
Read more: Denmark Urges More Air Defense For Ukraine But Has None of Its Own?
