US approves $2.1 billion Patriot missile sale to Ukraine

Mike Stone, Andrea Shalal and Tom Balmforth, Reuters

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A Patriot interceptor system, newly added to the Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS), stands at an army base in Sochaczew, Poland, on Dec. 18, 2024. (Kuba Stezycki/Reuters)

The U.S. State Department said on Friday it had approved the sale of 500 Patriot PAC-3 missiles to Ukraine for an estimated $2.1 billion, in what would be one of the most significant steps to supply defensive weapons to Kyiv since the start of the second Trump administration.

Delayed missile deliveries have ‌added ⁠to Ukraine’s tensions with the U.S. after President Donald Trump announced a diesel deal with Russia and criticised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy for Ukraine’s unwillingness to stop attacks on Russian refineries.

Ukraine has long said it urgently needs more missile interceptors to knock down the growing waves of missiles Russia’s military fires at the country. The Patriot missile system is the most effective weapon to counter fast-moving ballistic missiles.

On Thursday, a Russian drone strike killed at least 14 people on a crowded rail platform in the Ukrainian ‌city of Dnipro, while five died in daytime strikes on two other provincial cities and a late-evening missile strike killed one person in the capital Kyiv, officials said.

Zelenskiy said on Monday that Ukraine had been waiting for almost a month for the U.S. to sign off on critical ​missile supplies, as Russia stepped up attacks on energy and civilian infrastructure.

But despite Ukraine’s urgency, it will likely not receive the missile interceptors quickly. Weapons sales typically take years to fulfill, and two people briefed on the U.S. decision said the missiles — which are yet to be manufactured — are not expected to be delivered until a couple of years into the 2030s.

One of the people said Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense is encouraging the Pentagon to bring forward the delivery date, possibly by giving Kyiv missiles already in the U.S. arsenal and backfilling with the new Patriot interceptors.

Ukraine will pay for the missiles with contributions from Canada, Germany and Norway routed through a program called US JUMPSTART, along with national funds financed by the European Union’s Ukraine Support Loan, the State Department said in a statement.

The program uses donations from allies to buy weapons, services and training for Ukraine to support its self-defense following Russia’s invasion, according to a Pentagon website.

The JUMPSTART program was used in August to buy 3,350 air-launched cruise missiles worth $825 million made by Zone 5 Technologies and CoAspire.

Lockheed Martin is the principal contractor for the sale of the Patriot interceptors.

The U.S. ‌has supplied large quantities of weapons to allies while also using munitions in its own military operations in Iran, raising concerns about inventories of key air defense and precision-guided weapons.

In July, the U.S. Army awarded Lockheed a contract worth up to $58.6 billion to produce Patriot interceptor missiles.

Lockheed has said that deal would allow it to follow through on a promise to triple PAC-3 MSE production capacity ​by the end of ​2030 and increase jobs ⁠at its Camden, Arkansas, plant by 50%, to about 1,850 from 1,200. Lockheed previously announced Patriot PAC-3 missile interceptor production would go to 2,000 units ​annually.

Pentagon negotiators are ⁠pressing contractors to move much faster, with tentative production agreements struck earlier this year at the center of ​efforts to increase missile output.

路透社记者 Mike Stone、Andrea Shalal 和 Tom Balmforth

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2024年12月18日，一套新近加入综合作战指挥系统（IBCS）的“爱国者”拦截导弹系统矗立在波兰索哈切夫的一个陆军基地。（Kuba Stezycki/路透社）

美国国务院周五表示，已批准向乌克兰出售 500 枚爱国者 PAC-3 导弹，价值约 21 亿美元。这将是自​​特朗普第二任期开始以来，向基辅提供防御性武器的最重要举措之一。

在美国总统唐纳德·特朗普宣布与俄罗斯达成柴油协议，并批评乌克兰总统弗拉基米尔·泽连斯基不愿停止袭击俄罗斯炼油厂之后，导弹交付的延迟加剧了乌克兰与美国的紧张关系。

乌克兰长期以来一直表示，它迫切需要更多导弹拦截器来拦截俄罗斯军方向该国发射的日益增多的导弹。爱国者导弹系统是拦截高速弹道导弹最有效的武器。

官员称，周四，俄罗斯无人机袭击乌克兰第聂伯罗市一个拥挤的火车站台，造成至少 14 人死亡；白天，俄罗斯无人机袭击另外两个省会城市，造成 5 人死亡；深夜，俄罗斯导弹袭击首都基辅，造成 1 人死亡。

泽连斯基周一表示，乌克兰已经等待美国批准关键导弹供应近一个月了，与此同时，俄罗斯加大了对能源和民用基础设施的攻击力度。

尽管乌克兰急需导弹拦截器，但它可能无法迅速收到。武器销售通常需要数年时间才能完成，两位了解美国决定的人士表示，这些导弹尚未生产，预计要到2030年代的几年后才能交付。

其中一位人士表示，乌克兰国防部正在敦促五角大楼提前交付日期，可能的方式是向基辅提供美国武库中已有的导弹，并用新的爱国者拦截导弹进行补充。

美国国务院在一份声明中表示，乌克兰将通过一项名为“美国跃升计划”（US JUMPSTART）的项目，利用加拿大、德国和挪威的捐款，以及欧盟“乌克兰支持贷款”资助的国家资金来支付导弹费用。

据五角大楼网站称，该计划利用盟友的捐款为乌克兰购买武器、服务和培训，以支持乌克兰在俄罗斯入侵后的自卫。

JUMPSTART 计划于 8 月用于购买由 Zone 5 Technologies 和 CoAspire 制造的 3,350 枚价值 8.25 亿美元的空射巡航导弹。

洛克希德·马丁公司是爱国者拦截器销售的主要承包商。

美国向盟友提供了大量武器，同时还在其对伊朗的军事行动中使用弹药，这引发了人们对关键防空武器和精确制导武器库存的担忧。

7 月，美国陆军授予洛克希德公司一份价值高达 586 亿美元的合同，用于生产爱国者拦截导弹。

洛克希德公司表示，该协议将使其能够履行承诺，在2030年底前将PAC-3 MSE导弹的产能提高三倍，并将其位于阿肯色州卡姆登工厂的就业岗位增加50%，从1200个增加到约1850个。洛克希德公司此前宣布，爱国者PAC-3导弹拦截器的年产量将达到2000枚。

五角大楼谈判代表正在敦促承包商加快进度，今年早些时候达成的初步生产协议是提高导弹产量努力的核心。