Europe to Launch Patriot Missile Production in Germany to Reduce Reliance on U.S.
Europe is preparing to manufacture Patriot missiles on its own soil in a move aimed at reducing dependence on U.S. defense supplies, with a new plant in Germany set to become a key production hub.
The Gaze reports this, referring to Reuters.
Thomas Gottschild, managing director of MBDA Germany, told Reuters that the European missile maker is ready not only to expand missile production but also to manufacture Patriot launchers if requested by customers.
Germany, the Netherlands and Spain signed a €5.1 billion deal in 2024 to procure up to 1,000 Patriot missiles from the Raytheon-MBDA joint venture.
Construction is underway on a new plant in Bavaria, which is expected to double global output of upgraded PAC-2 interceptors, designed to take down tactical ballistic missiles. Production is scheduled to begin at the end of 2026, with the first deliveries planned for early 2027.
The Russian-Ukrainian war has underscored Europe’s heavy reliance on American weaponry, spurring efforts to diversify and localize production of critical defense systems.
Gottschild declined to disclose the plant’s maximum capacity for security reasons but said it would be capable of handling additional orders beyond the current contracts.
MBDA, which has previously handled the maintenance and servicing of Patriot systems, also has the technical expertise to produce launchers, according to Gottschild.
“It is just a question of industrial cooperation between us and Raytheon – and the wishes of our customer Bundeswehr, or other clients requesting the production of launchers,” he said.
Alongside the Patriot program, MBDA is weighing participation in a new “deep precision strike” missile project announced by Britain and Germany earlier this year. The missile is expected to have a range of more than 2,000 km, though the project timeline has not yet been set.
MBDA is also developing new defensive systems to address the growing threat of drones. The company hopes to sign an agreement with the German government by year-end to advance work on DefendAir, a short-range interceptor missile designed to take down low-flying UAVs.
With a range of more than five kilometers, DefendAir draws on technology from MBDA’s Enforcer system and is intended to complement Rheinmetall’s Skyranger 30mm gun in close-range air defense.
As The Gaze reported earlier, at the 30th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, held on September 9 in London, Ukraine’s Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal laid out a set of initiatives he described as critical for ensuring Ukraine’s security and Europe’s stability.