The United States has approved the sale of a combined 5,250 Patriot interceptor missiles to Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, aimed at replenishing air-defence stockpiles that have been severely depleted amid rising tensions in West Asia, according to a Reuters report.
The approval comes at a time when global supplies of the Patriot system are stretched thin. First deployed during the 1991 Gulf War, the system has seen a sharp spike in demand this year as multiple conflicts draw on the same limited pool of interceptors. Ukraine is urgently seeking additional Patriot missiles to counter nightly Russian ballistic missile barrages, while the broader war involving Iran has drawn down arsenals across the US and the Gulf. Several European countries are reportedly holding onto their own missile stocks rather than exporting them, wary of needing them for their own defence.
Distribution details by country and delivery timelines have not been disclosed. The move follows a pattern of expedited US arms approvals to Gulf allies in recent months, including an earlier package worth up to $8.6 billion covering Patriot interceptors, air-defence equipment and precision-guided munitions for Qatar, Kuwait, the UAE and Israel.
Separately, Washington is continuing talks that could allow Ukraine to manufacture Patriot interceptor missiles domestically, even after President Donald Trump said he had not yet approved such an arrangement. Sources familiar with the discussions told Reuters the talks include an option for Ukraine to produce some components for final assembly elsewhere in Europe.
Underscoring the strain on global supply, the US Army last month awarded Lockheed Martin a contract worth up to $58.6 billion to produce additional Patriot interceptor missiles, as demand for the system continues to outpace production capacity worldwide.