by DAVID AXE
Ukraine has run out of PAC-2 and PAC-3 interceptors for its roughly eight U.S.-made Patriot batteries, its main active defenses against the nearly 200 ballistic missiles Russia lobs at Ukraine every month.
Could Ukraine’s Coral missile end the interceptor crisis? Maybe, eventually. But not fast enough.
The administration of U.S. Pres. Donald Trump has authorized Lockheed Martin to sell Ukraine 500 PAC-3s paid for by a clutch of Ukraine’s non-American allies, but with global supplies of PAC-2s and PAC-3s down 2/3 owing to the American-led war on Iran, Ukraine won’t start getting its 500 PAC-3s until 2030.
The White House could prioritize Ukraine for deliveries, but with Trump openly championing the Russian “cause,” that’s unlikely to happen. The incoming Democratic Congress could force the issue after it takes control in January, but that could be a tough and prolonged legislative fight.
Ukraine also has three European-made SAMP/T batteries whose Aster 30 missiles can also hit incoming ballistic missiles, but the supply of Asters is as dire as the supply of PAC-2s and PAC-3s is.
