Multiple media, including the New York Times, have recently reported that the United States of America could "soon" be no longer able to supply Ukrainian Armed Forces with interceptor missiles for the Patriot anti-missile air defense system. The statement seems illogical because of the ongoing commitment of the U.S. to provide more systems to launch those missiles, nonetheless, it echoed through Ukrainian media, prompting the military authorities to comment
"I treat such announcements-statements with caution, considering why they are uttered and who can benefit from them," said Yurii Ihnat, Spokesperson of the Ukrainian Air Force Command, the branch of Ukrainian Armed Forces in charge of handling Patriot. Talking to journalists at the United News national television broadcast, the official noted that this is not the first time such reports have emerged in Western media.
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Ihnat added that Ukraine depends on partners in terms of supplies of not only missiles but as well ammunition of other types that are essential parts of operating various equipment and weapon systems received as military aid.
"Even Soviet ammunition we also get from the countries which have such systems in service. The supply is standardized and aligned with spending," the spox said.
Yurii Ihnat admitted that the three latest air attacks on Ukraine did result in a rapid expenditure of a significant number of missiles, including air defense interceptors.
On a reminder from Defense Express, earlier this January, Commander of the Joint Task Force Serhii Naiev, summarized that the current Ukrainian stockpiles of man-portable interceptors would be enough to repel a few next big waves of russian missile-and-drone attacks, speaking in the context of operations by mobile firing groups of air defense.
Air Force Command spokesman Ihnat says the shortage of air defense missiles is real, and "nobody's hiding it." This situation prompts the newspapers to cover this topic in their articles from time to time. Meanwhile, defense industries in the U.S. and Europe are actively expanding their production for the same reason.
For instance, Lockheed Martin received a contract worth $2.5 billion in April 2023 to produce 625 more PAC-3 missiles for the Patriot air defense system scheduled for deliveries ending in December 2029. On the other hand, the manufacturers of anti-aircraft missiles are struggling to keep up with the demand for these weapons, taking into account the war in Ukraine and the overall surge of orders from around the world.
Regarding the replenishment of Ukrainian arsenals, Ihnat draws the bottom line conclusion that Ukraine's partners "are well informed about the state of affairs with our air defense equipment."
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