Ukraine interested in Patriot production cooperation with Mitsubishi

Ukraine is interested in cooperating with Japan's Mitsubishi, a licensed manufacturer of missiles for the Patriot air defense system, Ukrinform reported.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made the remarks on Thursday when asked whether Ukraine was interested in cooperating with Mitsubishi. "We would certainly like to see them in Ukraine. We would welcome an exchange of experience, but that depends on the willingness of the Japanese side," he said.

The Patriot is a US-made air defense system capable of intercepting ballistic missiles, a capability Ukraine urgently needs. Ukraine has brought down only four of the 54 ballistic missiles launched by Russia this month.

Trump promised Zelenskyy on Wednesday that he will grant Ukraine a license to produce the Patriot, but Trump also acknowledged that he had not spoken first to the companies that manufacture Patriot interceptors – Lockheed Martin and Raytheon.

Fabian Hoffmann, a missile expert at the Norwegian Institute for Defense Studies in Oslo, told Reuters that the impact for Ukraine will be very limited in the short term, adding that he would be very surprised if this is faster than 12 months.

Germany, which has developed a domestic production chain for Patriot PAC-2 interceptors, is likely one country that could help build the weapons, Reuters reported.

However, by way of comparison, Raytheon reached an agreement with European weapons manufacturer MBDA in 2024 to produce GEM-T interceptors for the PAC-2 system in Germany and the first deliveries are not expected before early 2027.

Working on the principle that three Patriots are needed per ballistic missile to ensure an interception, experts estimate some 2,400 interceptors would be needed per year if Russia's output remains stable.

"Even with a licensed production facility in Ukraine, reaching that number will be very, very difficult, if not impossible," Hoffmann said.

(With input from agencies)