Demand soars for U.S. Patriot missiles, from Mideast to Ukraine : NPR

Key Points:

• Russia launched a large-scale pre-dawn air assault on Ukraine involving 27 ballistic missiles, mostly targeting Kyiv, resulting in nine deaths and over 30 injuries; Ukraine intercepted only one missile due to a shortage of Patriot interceptors.
• Ukraine's President Zelenskyy highlighted the urgent need for more U.S.-made Patriot missile interceptors, which are critical for defending against Russian ballistic missile attacks but are in short supply globally.
• U.S. Patriot missile stockpiles have significantly decreased from over 2,300 before the Iran conflict to around 800 today, with production unable to keep pace with rising demand from conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.
• Ukraine has requested additional Patriot systems and missiles from allies, but no country has publicly committed to sending more; a U.S. proposal to license Ukraine to build Patriots faces technological and political challenges.
• The U.S. also faces reduced inventories of THAAD missile interceptors, with stockpiles dropping from about 450 to 250 due to recent conflicts, further complicating missile defense capabilities for allies worldwide.