Raytheon and Lockheed officially cite intellectual property theft risks, but the real reason is fear of Ukrainian competition, The Atlantic reports. Zelensky claims he secured licenses from Trump, but Washington has not confirmed.
American companies Raytheon and Lockheed, manufacturers of the Patriot air defense missile system, are opposing the granting of licenses to Ukraine for the production of interceptor missiles. The official explanation they provide is the risk of intellectual property theft and the disclosure of sensitive technologies, but the real reason is different, The Atlantic reports, citing a U.S. official.
According to the magazine, a Republican official who supports the deal revealed that the companies actually fear that the Ukrainians will succeed in improving the Patriot system and then launch mass production that would be faster and significantly cheaper than that on American production lines.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky first requested a license for the production of Patriot missiles during the administration of former President Joe Biden, but Kyiv was then denied without explanation. The issue was raised again on July 28 during a meeting with current U.S. President Donald Trump.
Just two days later, on July 30, Trump publicly stated that one should be "very careful" with the transfer of Patriot technologies. However, on August 8, Zelensky announced that a deal on the license had been reached with Trump. Washington has not officially confirmed this information so far.
For Ukraine, the issue of licenses is of utmost importance because interceptor stockpiles are dwindling, while Russia continuously increases the number of ballistic strikes. Just this week, Russia used 61 missiles of various types against Ukraine, including 56 projectiles flying on a ballistic trajectory, as well as more than 1,560 attack drones and 1,540 aerial bombs.
An additional problem is the fact that the U.S. has spent a significant portion of its own Patriot missile stockpiles in the Middle East in recent months. Because of this, Trump previously refused Zelensky's request for the delivery of "several hundred" additional missiles.
Even if Ukraine obtains the requested licenses, developing full production will take years, which will not immediately solve current problems. In the long term, however, Kyiv wants to completely eliminate dependence on foreign deliveries and produce interceptors independently.
Meanwhile, Zelensky thanked the Armed Forces and the Security Service of Ukraine for operations targeting Russian oil refining, which he said the Russians "really feel." He also noted that Russian air defense missile systems and radar stations, as well as infrastructure in the area of the Azov and Black Seas, were hit.
