US congressman believes Ukraine can build Patriot missiles faster and better
Photo: Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems (Getty Images)
Ukraine may have the opportunity not only to produce Patriot missiles on its own, but also to improve the manufacturing process based on its own combat experience, according to Bloomberg.
Michael McCaul, a member of the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, expresses this assessment following a visit to Ukraine.
According to him, the American company Lockheed Martin has every reason to support the transfer of a license to Ukraine for the production of interceptor missiles for Patriot systems, should the administration of US President Donald Trump make such a decision.
"I think it’s in their best interest to do so for many factors," McCaul notes. "If the president wants this done, it’s in their best interest to comply with that."
In addition, the congressman says that during his trip to Ukraine, he familiarized himself with the development of Ukrainian drone technologies and the capabilities of the defense industry. It was this, he says, that changed his assessment of the potential of Ukrainian manufacturing.
"I think Ukrainians can build this thing faster, and maybe even better," he says.
McCaul also suggests that the American manufacturer could benefit from the cooperation.
"So Lockheed could learn something from the Ukrainians about their own interceptors — how to improve them, how to manufacture them more quickly," McCaul adds.
During the NATO summit, US President Donald Trump stated that Washington was ready to grant Ukraine a license to produce interceptor missiles for the Patriot systems. Following this, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that the parties are already discussing the practical implementation of the project.
Find out more about the steps Ukraine must take to launch production, how long it might take, and whether it’s realistic to begin manufacturing Patriot missiles in the coming years in the RBC-Ukraine article.
