US Army Pushes for Massive Boost in Patriot Missile Inventory

The US Army plans to spend more than $1.3 billion on Patriot missiles for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, and has quietly quadrupled its overall purchase target for the air defense weapon that has proven critical not just for Ukraine but also for US forces in the Middle East.

On April 16, a panel of high-ranking Army officials who recommend armament requirements raised its buying plan for the most advanced Patriot interceptor to 13,773 from 3,376, according to documents accompanying the service’s fiscal 2026 budget request. The panel sets requirements but those don’t automatically translate into hard budget numbers ...