American manufacturers of the Patriot air defense system — Raytheon and Lockheed Martin — are wary of transferring licenses for the production of interceptor missiles to Ukraine. This is reported by The Atlantic, citing a Republican in the U.S. Congress who himself supports granting such a license to Kyiv.
According to the publication's source, American companies fear that Ukraine will not only establish the production of Patriot missiles but will also be able to improve their design. After this, Ukrainian enterprises could potentially produce missiles in larger volumes, faster and cheaper than is currently done on American production lines.
Officially, defense companies are expected to explain their position by the need to protect intellectual property and prevent the transfer of sensitive technologies.
For several years, Ukraine has been trying to obtain the right to independently produce missiles for Patriot. According to The Atlantic, even in the last months of Joe Biden's administration, Ukrainian officials asked for the appropriate licenses. However, U.S. representatives, including then-Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, rejected this proposal without explaining the reason.
On August 8, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that an agreement has now been reached with Donald Trump's administration regarding the issuance of licenses. However, the process is currently slowed down by bureaucratic procedures. Zelenskyy emphasized that while the parties are dealing with documents, Ukraine is facing real missile strikes.
According to The Atlantic, Ukraine could potentially produce Patriot missiles not only for its own needs. In the future, it could produce additional batches for the U.S. or other Washington allies. It is precisely this possibility, it is believed, that could also cause concern for the American side.
The issue has become particularly relevant amid the deficit of interceptor missiles. On August 6, Donald Trump, answering a question about possible additional supplies of Patriot missiles to Ukraine, stated that the U.S. itself also needs these munitions.
Trump also accused the previous administration of Joe Biden of significantly depleting American weapons stockpiles due to military aid to Ukraine and stated that the U.S. is now replenishing its arsenals.
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