Europe has about 200 PAC-3 missiles left, some already sent to Ukraine, expert says
Фото: Patriot (Getty Images)
According to aviation expert Kostiantyn Kryvolap, there are approximately 200 PAC-3 missiles in Europe, though some of them have already been transferred to Ukraine. He also notes that there are reliably confirmed reports of about 200 PAC-2 missiles in Greece, while data on a similar number in Spain is unreliable, according to an RBC-Ukraine article.
Why it is difficult to assess Patriot missile stocks based on public data
It is nearly impossible to distinguish between the different missile variants—PAC-2, PAC-2 GEM-T, PAC-3, PAC-3 CRI, and PAC-3 MSE—in publicly available data, notes Kostiantyn Kryvolap. According to him, Ukraine has received a significant number of missiles, but the contracts do not specify the exact quantities of each type, and the types vary greatly in cost and size. A launcher can hold either four PAC-2s or 16 PAC-3s.
"Approximately, the number of PAC-3 missiles in Europe is somewhere around 200. But some of those 200 have already been given to us," the expert explains.
According to him, it is reliably known that Greece has about 200 PAC-2 missiles. Spain may have the same number, but this information is unreliable; Kryvolap rates its credibility as category three.
Kryvolap emphasizes that Patriot systems are deployed in nearly all European countries, as well as in Japan, Indonesia, Taiwan, and the Middle East. Few missiles are produced in Europe because they are used primarily for training exercises.
According to the expert, executives from Lockheed Martin and Raytheon were summoned to the Pentagon in late summer of last year: production was not meeting global demand. Initially, the manufacturers were tasked with figuring out how to reach 2,000 PAC-3s by 2030, but following the events in Iran, they were required to deliver results more quickly. They promised 750 missiles in 2026 and a total of 2,000 by 2028.
However, according to the expert, even this is not enough given the volume of weapons produced by countries that manufacture ballistic missiles—North Korea, China, Iran, and Russia.
According to Zelenskyy, Ukraine paid for Patriot missiles, but the US is delaying their delivery, and Ukraine is receiving only 12 missiles per month, which is about four times less than under the Biden administration.
Meanwhile, in early November, the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine released data on Russia's stockpiles of ballistic and cruise missiles and the rate at which they are being built up.
