US approves US$2.1 billion Patriot missile sale to Ukraine

• The US approved a US$2.1 billion sale of 500 Patriot PAC-3 missiles to Ukraine, with funding from Canada, Germany, Norway and EU-backed loans.
• The deal comes after delays that angered Kyiv, as President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine had waited nearly a month for critical missile supplies while Russian attacks intensified.
• Lockheed Martin will build the missiles, and the US is pushing contractors to speed up output as it worries about air defence stockpiles and future winter needs.

WASHINGTON - The US State Department said on Oct 30 it had approved the sale of 500 Patriot PAC-3 missiles to Ukraine for an estimated US$2.1 billion (S$2.6 billion).

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

Delayed missile deliveries added to Ukraine's tensions with the US after President Donald Trump announced a diesel deal with Russia and criticised Zelensky for Ukraine’s unwillingness to stop attacks on Russian refineries.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said earlier this week that Ukraine had been waiting for almost a month for the US to sign off on critical missile supplies, as Russia stepped up attacks on energy and civilian infrastructure.

The Ukrainian leader has repeatedly called on the US, which supplies missiles purchased by NATO allies under a programme known as PURL, to speed up deliveries ahead of winter.

Lockheed Martin is the principal contractor for the sale.

The US 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 defence and precision-guided weapons.

In July, the US Army awarded Lockheed a contract worth up to US$58.6 billion (S$748 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 centre of efforts to increase missile output. REUTERS