The U.S. has announced that defense companies are interested in manufacturing Patriot systems in Ukraine
U.S. defense companies may be interested in launching production of Patriot interceptor missiles in Ukraine. According to the congressman, such cooperation is in the interests of arms manufacturers following U.S. President Donald Trump’s statement regarding the possibility of granting the relevant license.
Michael McCaul, honorary chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, told Bloomberg about this.
“I believe it is in their interest for many reasons. If the president wants this to happen, then it is in their interest to make it happen,” McCaul said in response to a question about whether Lockheed would grant a license for this technology.
It is noted that the interview with McCaul took place during his visit to Ukraine, where, according to the congressman, Ukrainian military officials briefed him on domestic drone technologies and the successes of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in recapturing Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia.
“I believe that Ukrainians can build this system faster, and perhaps even better. Therefore, Lockheed could learn from the Ukrainians when it comes to its own interceptors—how to improve them and how to produce them faster,” McColl said, referring to the Patriot system.
The United States has agreed to grant Ukraine a license to manufacture missiles for the Patriot air defense systems. The Kremlin stated that such a decision would allegedly complicate the negotiation process, but at the same time assured that it does not consider it an escalation.
Ukraine aims to launch production of missiles for the Patriot systems under the U.S. license as soon as possible. However, according to Reuters, this process may begin not in Ukraine, but in one of the European countries.
