Spain and Greece do not want to transfer Patriot missiles to Ukraine, which are about to expire.
фото: Defense Express
Spain and Greece have significant stockpiles of Patriot air defense interceptor missiles, which are approaching expiration. However, the countries are in no rush to transfer them to Ukraine, despite the intensification of Russian attacks.
The Telegraph writes about this.
According to the publication, Greece likely has over 200 PAC-2 missiles, which are approaching the end of their service life. The exact number of such munitions in Spain is unknown. Meanwhile, last month, Madrid announced the transfer of five missiles to Ukraine.
Amid concerns about large-scale Russian strikes on Ukraine this winter, NATO and the European Union are trying to persuade Athens and Madrid to hand over to Kyiv missiles that may soon expire.
The EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, previously stated that countries with such interceptors should hand them over to Ukraine.
“We know that some countries have interceptors that are about to expire. It would be very good if they were given to Ukraine,” Callas said in Ireland in September.
Patriot missiles have a 23-year shelf life. This is the period during which the manufacturer guarantees their proper operation, but the missiles may still remain usable after their retirement.
Oslo University rocket expert Fabian Hoffman noted that the munitions could still function after their expiration date, but it would be more difficult to guarantee their reliability in that case.