Ukraine to co-manufacture Patriot interceptor missiles with Raytheon
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President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on July 23 that Ukraine and U.S. defense contractor Raytheon have agreed to jointly produce Patriot interceptor missiles following a meeting with company executives.
Zelensky met with a Raytheon delegation led by Vice President Joseph DeAntona and thanked the company for expanding its partnership with Ukraine as the country continues to defend against Russian aerial attacks.
"Ukraine will jointly produce with Raytheon one of the most critical air defense systems — interceptors for the Patriot system," Zelensky said, adding that he and U.S. President Donald Trump had discussed the initiative during talks in Ankara.
"Our teams — at the government level and from the private sector — will stay in touch to work out the details," Zelensky added.
The announcement comes as Ukraine continues to seek expanded domestic defense production and closer cooperation with Western defense companies amid intensified Russian attacks.
As the most advanced Western-manufactured air defense system and the only one capable of consistently shooting down Russian ballistic missiles, the Patriot is in high demand, with years-long waiting lists both for the batteries themselves and for the interceptor missiles.
