War in Iran has used up half of US Patriot and THAAD missile stockpiles

Prefer on Google by Kollen Post A Patriot anti-aircraft missile system launcher stands at the air base on June 17, 2023, in Bavaria, Germany. (Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/Getty Images) The U.S. has run through over half of its stockpiles of key air defense missiles during the nearly two-month war on Iran. A new analysis from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) published April 21 breaks down pre-existing stockpiles of U.S. missiles. For Ukraine, the most significant are air defense systems like Patriots , which Ukraine has, and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) batteries, which Ukraine wants . The U.S. and its allies have, per CSIS, used up between 1,060 and 1,430 missiles for Patriot air defense systems out of pre-war supply of 2,330. When it comes to THAAD ammunition, they estimate between 190 and 290 fired out of a supply of 360. Ukraine has persistently lamented that the U.S. is using Patriot missiles to shoot down Iranian Shahed drones. Ukrainian stockpiles of Patriot missiles, particularly PAC-3 MSEs, have dwindled precariously, while flocks of up to a thousand Shahed drones and their Russian-made copies will swarm Ukraine in a single night. Ukrainian developers have as a result developed an arsenal of alternative, cheaper tools for anti-drone air defense, maybe most eye-catchingly anti-drone drones . But when it comes to Russian ballistic missiles like the Iskander-M or Kinzhals, Ukraine remains dependent on outside aid, especially PAC-3 missiles. Patriot missile maker Raytheon is expanding production of Patriot GEM-Ts in Germany, but those facilities are not yet up and running. Meanwhile CSIS's analysis estimates that PAC-3 MSE missiles take 29 months to contract before even beginning manufacturing.