Kristina Kazakova00:01, 19.09.26
Officials are currently working to build up stockpiles of critical components and certain types of ammunition, as well as to reduce production lead times.
The United States has warned allies to expect delays in key weapons deliveries for up to five years as the country replenishes its own depleted ammunition stockpiles, Bloomberg reports .
The publication reported that, according to officials, several European countries expect that deliveries of key missile systems and air defense systems will be delayed because the US military has exhausted its own arsenal during the war with Iran.
In particular, Germany has asked the United States to expedite the delivery of long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles and Typhon ground-based launchers, but due to the depletion of stocks of these powerful weapons in the United States, its manufacturer, Raytheon, a part of RTX Corp., is unlikely to be able to fulfill the order within the next five years.
Two other officials noted that some Eastern European countries that also rely on American weapons systems experienced delays soon after the United States and Israel launched a war against Iran on February 28.
The publication notes that the Pentagon’s decision to prioritize its own stockpiles also complicates Ukraine’s efforts to get the US to send it more Patriot air defense interceptors ahead of what is expected to be a tough winter for the war-torn country.
“The issue of Ukraine’s desperately needed air defense system will be a key topic at United Nations meetings in New York next week,” the article says.
The United States is estimated to have deployed more than half of its most advanced Patriot missiles, a third of its Tomahawk missiles, and nearly half of its Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) precision-strike missiles and interceptors to Iran.
“During the first few months of the war, the military fired so many munitions at Iranian targets that it created a strategic shortfall in the stockpile and exposed bottlenecks in the industrial base that prevented the replenishment of munitions,” Pentagon officials acknowledged.
Officials are currently working to build stockpiles of critical components and certain types of ammunition, as well as to reduce production lead times, the watchdog said in a report released this week.
At the same time, defense companies are ramping up production. In particular, Lockheed Martin Corp. is working to increase its annual capacity of the most advanced PAC-3 MSE (Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Missile Segment Enhancement) missiles from approximately 600 to 2,000.
The publication noted that the shortage is affecting more than just the US and Europe. In April, the US informed Japan that Tomahawk missile deliveries would be delayed for up to two years.
Notably, Saudi Arabia also called on allies, particularly the United States, to provide military support to counter Houthi attacks in Yemen.
However, according to these sources, the United States continues to supply Ukraine with weapons acquired by European allies under NATO and European Union initiatives.
According to the publication, European leaders plan to press Trump to provide Ukraine with additional Patriot systems next week, while world leaders attend United Nations meetings.
EU officials also hope to persuade the US to grant European countries licenses to produce their own Patriot systems, which could then be transferred to Kyiv.
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