American media: The army’s shortage of air defense missiles will continue until 2030

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American media reported on Friday that the US Armed Forces are facing a severe shortage of ammunition for missile defense systems, which is expected to continue until at least 2030.

CBS News reported that stocks of Patriot and THAAD missile systems had declined to strategically dangerous levels, as a result of arms supplies to Ukraine and the depletion of US arsenals in the Middle East.

CBS News explained that during combat operations, the US Army consumed up to 61% of its pre-combat stock of PAC-3 missiles, and about 82% of the THAAD interceptor missiles, while the process of implementing new contracts takes between 3.5 and 4.5 years.

According to the channel, the American defense industry company Lockheed Martin plans to increase production of the systems to 400 units annually. According to estimates by US officials and experts in the defense industry sector, it will take at least five years to restore stocks to December 2025 levels, even if ammunition consumption stops, due to the limited production capabilities of the defense industrial sector.