They will do it better and cheaper: why Patriot manufacturers are afraid to transfer production licenses to Ukraine

The manufacturers of the American Patriot air defense system may officially justify their concerns about transferring technology to Ukraine with the risks of intellectual property theft, but their real concern may be related to the potential of Ukrainian production. Ukrainian specialists can improve Patriot and, in the future, produce systems on a large scale faster and cheaper than they do on American production lines.

This is what The Atlantic writes about.

Ukraine is seeking a license from the United States to produce interceptor missiles for Patriot systems. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky raised the issue during a meeting with US President Donald Trump on July 28.

Two days later, Trump said that Washington should be careful about who it grants licenses to produce Patriot missiles. Meanwhile, on August 8, Zelensky said that he had reached an agreement with Trump to provide Ukraine with the appropriate licenses, but the White House has not yet publicly confirmed this.

The Atlantic’s Michael Weiss notes that Ukraine has significantly strengthened its own defense capabilities in recent years. The country produces a significant part of its own weapons, uses drones to deter Russian offensive operations, and strikes military and industrial facilities on Russian territory.

According to Weiss, Ukraine is increasingly seen not as a dependent recipient of aid, but as a source of military technology and know-how. He believes that Ukrainian defense-industrial potential can become an important element of the American military supply chain.

At the same time, Ukraine still depends on allies for missile defense. The need for Patriot interceptor missiles has increased especially against the backdrop of Russian missile strikes, while US stocks are also declining.

Weiss notes that even if a license is obtained, large-scale production of Patriot in Ukraine will take time. That is why Ukraine is simultaneously seeking the supply of ready-made interceptor missiles.

According to the author, granting a license could be beneficial not only to Ukraine, but also to the United States. After the war, Ukraine could potentially produce surplus Patriot systems for American use or for sale to U.S. allies.

At the same time, it is the prospect of large-scale Ukrainian production that could cause concern among American Patriot manufacturers Raytheon and Lockheed. One Republican official who supports the licensing told Weiss that the companies will officially “articulate their concerns around intellectual property theft and technology transfer,” but their real concerns lie elsewhere.

“Their real concern is that the Ukrainians will find a way to improve the Patriot and then produce them on a large scale faster and for much less money than existing production lines in the United States could do,” the Republican official said.

Thus, the potential transfer of Patriot technology to Ukraine could create not only intellectual property protection issues for American manufacturers, but also the risk of faster and cheaper production of this system.

Recall that the US will supply Ukraine with interceptor missiles for Patriot air defense systems every month . According to President Volodymyr Zelensky, relevant agreements have already been reached, but American missiles may not be enough for Ukraine’s needs.

By the way, during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last week, US President Donald Trump refused to transfer hundreds of additional interceptor missiles for Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems to Ukraine.

It was previously reported that Ukraine has not yet received a license to produce interceptor missiles for Patriot systems. The US stated that negotiations are ongoing, but they will not have time to complete them and conclude a corresponding agreement before the beginning of winter.

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