Ukraine Could Make Patriot Missiles Cheaper Than American Ones — The Atlantic

American defense companies Raytheon and Lockheed Martin may fear that after obtaining a license, Ukraine will improve the missiles for Patriot air defense systems and establish their production faster and cheaper.

This is reported by The Atlantic, citing an unnamed Republican Party representative in the US Congress who supports granting Ukraine the relevant license.

According to the source, officially the manufacturers may explain their reservations based on risks of intellectual property theft and the transfer of sensitive technologies.

However, the real concern is allegedly related to the ability of Ukrainian engineers to improve the Patriot and organize large-scale missile production faster and at a lower cost than on existing American production lines.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated on August 8 that he had agreed with US President Donald Trump on providing Ukraine with the necessary licenses. According to him, further progress on the issue depends on bureaucratic procedures and documentation processing.

At the same time, at the time of the article's publication, Washington had not officially confirmed the completion of the agreements.

Even after obtaining the permits, the launch of full-scale Patriot missile production could take several years. However, The Atlantic believes that Ukraine, with its developed defense industry, could ultimately produce interceptors not only for its own needs but also for the US and other allies.

Ukrainian enterprises already have experience in rapidly improving foreign military technologies and scaling up production of low-cost strike assets. It is precisely this ability, the outlet suggests, that could create competition for American defense corporations.

Based on materials from: The Atlantic