In its 2027 budget, the U.S. Navy has allocated $1.7 billion to procure 405 MSE anti-aircraft missiles, at $4.19 million per missile.
At first glance, such a request may seem surprising, since the U.S. Navy does not have its own Patriot air defense systems, which are in service only with the Army. Instead, it has Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers, which could serve as platforms for these systems following relatively minor upgrades.
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Lockheed Martin has spent over three years integrating the MSE missile into the Mk 41 vertical launching system, the Aegis combat system, and the SPY-1 radar. In 2024, the system underwent partial testing, during which an MSE missile fired from a Mk 70 land-based launcher successfully struck a "cruise missile" target using the Aegis virtualized system.
The goal of this integration is to provide the U.S. Navy with a more cost-effective means of countering ballistic threats in the atmosphere. Currently, SM-6 missiles capable of engaging ballistic targets can be used for this purpose. This missile can also be used to shoot down aerodynamic targets at a range of 240 km. In addition, the SM-6 can strike ground targets and ships.
Although the cost of the SM-6 is clearly higher, the main issue is that its production rate is low. Lockheed Martin is projected to produce 2,000 MSE missiles annually within seven years, whereas Raytheon's SM-6 production will rise to only 500 per year, up from 125 today.
Due to the predictable shortage of SM-6 missiles, the U.S. Navy is looking to equip its guided-missile destroyers with MSE missiles. This is especially significant because China has been developing anti-ship ballistic missiles like the DF-21D, as well as hypersonic anti-ship missiles. At the same time, Beijing is simultaneously testing these weapons, notably by moving full-scale mock-ups of U.S. ships along 40-kilometer tracks through the desert.
However, an additional order for the MSE from the U.S. Navy also depends on Lockheed Martin's production capacity, with the latest reported figure standing at 620 units per year. Meanwhile, in its 2027 budget proposal, the U.S. Army has allocated 2,798 units to replenish its stockpiles.
As a result, Washington will have even fewer Patriot missiles to export, because the Pentagon prioritizes its own stock before supplying others.
From the Defense Express side, we urges you to join a fundraising for what is already working: One United Fundraiser: Fundraising by the Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundation for interceptor drones.
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