The US promise to provide Kiev with a license to produce Patriot missile interceptors will not lead to quick results on the battlefield, and the actual assembly will probably be organized in Germany, Reuters reports.
According to sources familiar with the discussions after the NATO summit, moving the production chain to Germany or another European country is a logical step for security reasons, since factories on Ukrainian territory would immediately become a target for Russian strikes.
Production can be transferred to Ukraine only after the end of the war.
Military experts from the Norwegian Institute for Defense Research in Oslo warn that building such a high-tech base takes time and the first missiles will not come off the assembly line within the next 12 to 18 months.
For comparison, the experience of the arms manufacturer “Raytheon“ is cited, which concluded a contract with the European consortium MBDA for the production of PAC-2 missiles in Bavaria (Southern Germany), but the first deliveries there are not expected until early 2027.
This leaves Ukraine with the urgent need to rely on direct supplies of ready-made systems from its allies to cover the current deficit in the protection of its energy infrastructure.