BERLIN, March 5. /TASS/. The Iran war has triggered a shortage of missiles for Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems, Handelsblatt quotes military sources as saying.
It said the Persian Gulf countries alone spent about 800 missiles in the early days of the conflict. The US and Israel spent "at least" the same number. Handelsblatt says that stocks of missiles for Patriot are a top secret, while the Americans emphasize they have enough ammunition. However, the paper says experts are increasingly doubtful about this.
On top of the Persian Gulf states, Ukraine also needs missiles for Patriots, but their production capacity is limited. Lockheed Martin has tripled their output over the past three years, but this is only 600 missiles per year. In January, it promised to increase the capacity to 2,000 rockets a year from 2026.
The production of missiles for Germany will only start at the end of the year with deliveries scheduled for the beginning of 2027.