US approves sale of Patriot launcher upgrades to Ukraine

The U.S. government said this week it has approved Ukraine’s potential purchase of equipment to upgrade its Patriot air defense launchers to the latest configuration.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced State Department approval of the possible foreign military sale, which could be worth up to $105 million, in a Tuesday statement and said it has notified Congress. The main contractors on the deal would be RTX Corp. of Arlington, Virginia, and Lockheed Martin of Bethesda, Maryland, which are the primary companies that build Patriot systems and missiles.

The United States first shipped Patriot systems to Ukraine in April 2023, more than a year after Russia invaded and launched a grueling war. Russia bombards military targets and cities and other civilian sites with drones and missiles, including hypersonic weapons daily. Patriots are now seen as crucial to Ukraine’s effort defense against Russian attacks.

Other nations, such as Germany, have also provided Patriot systems to Ukraine. NATO’s top commander told a conference in Germany in July that he was pushing to transfer more Patriot systems to Ukraine as quickly as possible .

That same month, the U.S. told Switzerland it would send Patriot systems that had been intended for sale to the Swiss to Ukraine instead.

But the U.S. and other partner nations also need Patriot batteries elsewhere, including in the Middle East and Taiwan, which would use them against a potential Chinese invasion. Patriot production faces bottlenecks that limit production, which can make nations reluctant to part with many of their systems, and they need to maintain their own stockpiles.

Still, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this month Ukraine had received more Patriot systems.

This most recent sale approval would allow Ukraine to improve Patriots already in hand.

The equipment and services included in the sale would allow Ukraine to upgrade its current complement of M901 Patriot launchers to the M903 configuration. The sale would also include ground support equipment, spare parts, support, training, accessories and other logistical and program support elements.

M903 launchers can fire all different types of Patriot missiles, according to Lockheed Martin, including the PAC-3 MSE, or missile segment enhancement. The PAC-3 MSE has improved capabilities such as updated software and systems that allow it to home in on and destroy an enemy target.

The M903 launcher can carry up to 12 PAC-3 MSE missiles, or a combination of fewer PAC-3 MSEs and other types of Patriot missiles.

DSCA said Ukraine would have no trouble integrating these Patriot upgrades and equipment into its armed forces and leave it better able to defend itself but would not alter the basic military balance in the region.

The statement said the sale will support the U.S. foreign policy and national security objectives “by improving the security of a partner country that is a force for political stability and economic progress in Europe.”

If Ukraine buys the Patriot upgrades and equipment, DSCA said it would require about five U.S. government personnel and 15 contractors to be assigned to Europe for up to a month to train Ukrainian personnel.

Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter for Defense News. He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. He has traveled to the Middle East to cover U.S. Air Force operations.

美国政府本周表示，已批准乌克兰可能购买设备，将其“爱国者”防空导弹发射装置升级到最新配置。

美国国防安全合作局周二发表声明称，国务院已批准一项价值可能高达1.05亿美元的对外军售，并已通知国会。该军售的主要承包商是位于弗吉尼亚州阿灵顿的RTX公司和位于马里兰州贝塞斯达的洛克希德·马丁公司，这两家公司是“爱国者”导弹系统和导弹的主要制造商。

美国于2023年4月首次向乌克兰交付“爱国者”导弹防御系统，此时距离俄罗斯入侵并发动旷日持久的战争已过去一年多。俄罗斯每天都使用无人机和导弹（包括高超音速武器）轰炸军事目标、城市和其他民用设施。“爱国者”导弹防御系统如今被视为乌克兰抵御俄罗斯攻击的关键。

其他国家，例如德国，也向乌克兰提供了“爱国者”导弹系统。北约最高指挥官7月在德国举行的一次会议上表示，他正在推动尽快向乌克兰转让更多“爱国者”导弹系统。

同月，美国告诉瑞士，它将把原本打算卖给瑞士的爱国者导弹系统转而运往乌克兰。

但美国和其他伙伴国家也需要在其他地方部署爱国者导弹系统，包括中东和台湾，以应对潜在的中国入侵。爱国者导弹的生产面临瓶颈，限制了产量，这使得各国不愿出售大量系统，而且它们还需要维持自身的库存。

不过，乌克兰总统泽连斯基本月表示，乌克兰已经接收了更多“爱国者”导弹系统。

此次最新批准的军售将使乌克兰能够改进其已拥有的爱国者导弹系统。

此次军售包含的设备和服务将使乌克兰能够将其现有的M901“爱国者”导弹发射系统升级为M903型。军售内容还包括地面支持设备、备件、技术支持、培训、配件以及其他后勤和项目支持要素。

据洛克希德·马丁公司称，M903发射器可以发射所有类型的爱国者导弹，包括PAC-3 MSE（导弹段增强型）。PAC-3 MSE改进了诸多性能，例如升级了软件和系统，使其能够追踪并摧毁敌方目标。

M903 发射器最多可携带 12 枚 PAC-3 MSE 导弹，或者携带较少数量的 PAC-3 MSE 导弹和其他类型的爱国者导弹。

美国国防安全合作局表示，乌克兰将这些爱国者导弹升级和装备整合到其武装部队中不会有任何问题，这将使其更有能力保卫自己，但不会改变该地区的基本军事平衡。

声明称，此次军售将支持美国的外交政策和国家安全目标，“通过改善一个伙伴国家的安全，而该伙伴国家是欧洲政治稳定和经济进步的重要力量”。

美国国防安全合作局表示，如果乌克兰购买爱国者导弹升级套件和设备，将需要派遣大约 5 名美国政府人员和 15 名承包商前往欧洲，进行长达一个月的培训，以训练乌克兰人员。

斯蒂芬·洛西是《防务新闻》的空战记者。他此前曾在《空军时报》报道领导层和人事问题，并在Military.com网站报道五角大楼、特种作战和空战。他曾前往中东报道美国空军的行动。