PNN – News sources have reported that the U.S. Army has placed an order for older-model Patriot missiles (PAC-2) for the first time in over three decades—a move signaling a significant depletion of the country’s strategic air defense stockpiles following aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran.
According to the report of Pakistan News Network; citing the website The War Zone (TWZ), Christopher Calio, CEO of Raytheon (the primary manufacturer of the Patriot system), announced that the U.S. Army has placed an order for GEM-T missiles.
The report notes that this missile variant—an upgraded version of the PAC-2—remains effective at intercepting ballistic missiles despite its older design and serves as a suitable option to replenish U.S. weapons stockpiles.
According to the CEO of Raytheon, the contract to purchase these missiles—valued at $441.6 million—was finalized in support of recent U.S. operations in the Middle East.
Military experts estimate that the U.S. military has fired over a thousand Patriot missiles of various types during recent conflicts in the Middle East; this high rate of expenditure, combined with the war in Ukraine and surging demand from U.S. allies, has placed immense strain on the supply chain for this vital air defense system.
According to the report, countries such as Switzerland are also concerned about meeting their future defense needs due to delays in the delivery of their orders.
The Telegraph previously reported that the Pentagon was concealing the extent of critical missile stockpile shortages from the White House—a matter the newspaper suggested the White House might not be particularly eager to hear about.
The British newspaper added: It seems that sharing bad or realistic news never ends well for anyone.
According to an analysis by the British think tank RUSI (Royal United Services Institute) published in March, the US and its allies expended over 11,000 munitions during the first 16 days of an offensive against Iran. The think tank further predicted that they were only a month away from exhausting their stocks of key munitions.