© EPA/RITCHIE B. TONGO At present, the USA produces around 700 PAC-3 missiles annually.
The Deputy Minister of National Defense of Poland, Cezary Tomczyk, declared that the country secured initial consent from the US Department of State to produce missiles for Patriot anti-aircraft defense systems. The deputy minister made the announcement on TVN24.
As per Tomczyk, at the outset, American officials expressed doubt about the possibility of manufacturing PAC-3 missiles for Patriot systems within Poland.
“Following our visit [to the US], I believe every avenue is now open, and we’ve obtained preliminary authorization from the State Department to produce missiles for Patriot systems. Polish defense industry facilities will handle production. This falls under the purview of the consortium; we possess these capabilities within Poland,” the deputy minister stated.
He further mentioned that during discussions, American representatives showed “significant interest” in the prospect of Poland manufacturing missiles for HIMARS systems or Hellfire missiles (employed, among other things, in Apache helicopters).
As indicated by the US-based Paine Institute, the United States alongside its allies, launched 1,802 Patriot interceptor missiles within the first 16 days of combat against Iran. This figure is double the amount Ukraine utilized during its four-year conflict with Russia.
Amidst this situation, the Pentagon finalized a $4.7 billion agreement with Lockheed Martin to elevate PAC-3 production from approximately 600 to 2,000 units annually.