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Poland, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United States have signed an agreement to establish a European maintenance center for PAC-3 missiles used by Patriot air defense systems, UATV English reports.
Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz announced the agreement during the NATO Summit in Ankara, saying the new facility will significantly expand maintenance capacity and accelerate the servicing of Patriot interceptor missiles across Europe.
“Our goal is not only to purchase modern weapons but also to produce and maintain them in Europe, with Poland playing an active role,” Kosiniak-Kamysz said.
Demand for PAC-3 interceptors has surged amid growing global security challenges. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently noted that about 800 PAC-3 missiles were used during just three days of fighting in the Persian Gulf, adding that Ukraine has not received that many interceptors throughout the entire period of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Patriot systems are currently operated by several countries, including Germany, Japan, Poland, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Ukraine. Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov has repeatedly stressed that Ukraine faces a critical shortage of Patriot missiles needed to counter Russia’s ballistic missile attacks.
To address the growing demand, Zelenskyy has called on the United States to grant production licenses for Patriot missiles abroad and support the development of large-scale European production of anti-ballistic air defense systems.
Read Also: Zelenskyy Hints that Patriot Interceptors Are Not Only Available in the United States
