Short on US Patriot missiles, Ukraine looks for alternatives
Russia is putting pressure on Ukraine with ballistic missiles, but Kyiv is short of Patriot interceptors. Domestic production and European alternatives take time. Can Kyiv
Russia is putting pressure on Ukraine with ballistic missiles, but Kyiv is short of Patriot interceptors. Domestic production and European alternatives take time. Can Kyiv realistically reduce its dependence on the US? Russia is increasingly relying on ballistic missiles for its attacks on Ukraine — precisely the weapons that Ukraine's armed forces depend heavily on Western support to ward off. However, the crucial US-produced Patriot interceptor missiles are often in short supply. How urgently does Ukraine need new Patriot missiles? Extremely urgently. While Ukraine has set up a well-functioning defense network against drones, its armed forces are reaching their limits when it comes to fending off Iskander-M ballistic missiles. One of the few weapons capable of countering such missiles is, above all, the Patriot system with its PAC-3 interceptor missiles. At the beginning of August, it became evident once again how patchy Ukraine's air defense has become. During a Russian attack on August 1, Ukraine could only intercept one of 27 ballistic missiles fired. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this was due to the fact that there were practically no more Patriot interceptor missiles left for the eight batteries stationed across Ukraine. Three days later, according to Ukraine, Russia fired another 24 ballistic missiles as well as four Zircon hypersonic missiles, of which none were intercepted. Ukraine faces Patriot missile shortage To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The French/Italian SAMP/T is considered an alternative to the Patriot system. However, Ukraine owns only a few of those, and the required Aster-30 interceptor missiles are also in short supply. In addition, the more powerful new-generation SAMP/T NG will only gradually become available.
Therefore, the system is not a European short-term alternative to Patriot. At the same time, Patriot deliveries are declining. According to Zelenskyy, Ukraine received only about one-third as many anti-aircraft missiles so far this year as it did in 2025. The war in the Middle East has further exacerbated the global shortage. Unlike at the beginning of the Ukraine war, the problem today lies less with launching facilities and more with Patriot ammunition. What are the dimensions of Russia's missile capabilities? Although exact Russian figures are not publicly available, there are numerous indications that Russia is ramping up its production. Moscow has, for example, significantly increased production of Iskander-M and Kinzhal ballistic and air-launched missiles. According to current estimates, it produces around 60 to 65 Iskander-M missiles per month alone, which amounts to more than 700 per year. Reports indicate there are apparently shipments from North Korea as well. According to Ukraine, Pyongyang has supplied Russia with some 150 ballistic missiles since the end of 2023. In addition, a North Korean missile unit that has recently been deployed to Russia could be equipped with up to 120 additional missiles. Ukraine calls on allies to help with air defenses To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video According to Ukraine's Defense Ministry, Russia launched 195 ballistic missiles of various types in July alone. Only 29 of them could be intercepted. Ukraine's military intelligence service estimates that Russia is currently capable of firing up to 100 ballistic missiles per month without depleting its stocks. In contrast, US missile producer Lockheed Martin supplied only 620 modern PAC-3 MSE interceptor missiles worldwide in 2025.
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