Japan Replenishes U.S. Patriot Missile Stocks After Donations to Ukraine: More Expected to Follow

Japan has supplied an undisclosed number of Patriot missiles to the United States to help replenish its stockpiles, following both increased pressure on supplies due to escalated deployments to the Middle East, and to a surge in donations of new systems to Ukraine. The deal was confirmed by Japan’s Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency. A former Pentagon official familiar with the negotiations indicated that around 10 missiles are expected to be transferred, although this is expected to be followed by significant followup sales. Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries produces approximately 30 Patriot missiles annually under license. In parallel to efforts to acquire missiles built in Japan, the United States has placed Israel under growing pressure to offer its own recently retired Patriot systems for resale, which would allow them to be diverted to Ukraine.

The United States is notably far from the only Western country which has seen its supplies of Patriot systems run low due to supplies to Ukraine. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, for one, stated the following regarding her own country’s capacity: “Unfortunately, the stocks, especially our own Patriot systems, are now pretty much exhausted. Therefore I made it clear at a NATO foreign ministers’ meeting that we need to check the availability of all Patriot systems in Europe and globally, and that we will make every effort to obtain these systems for Ukraine.” The urgency of sending Patriot systems to Ukraine has grown as the country’s stockpiles of Soviet-built S-300 systems are increasingly depleted, while footage continues to confirm successful strikes using Iskander-M ballistic missile systems to destroy Patriots on the frontlines. Footage released on March 9, for example, showed Ukrainian Patriot systems operating near the Sergeevka locality in the disputed Donetsk region destroyed in Iskander-M strikes alongside S-300 systems.