The American company Lockheed Martin has launched a new interceptor model for the Patriot system, named PAC-3 ACE, designed to counter aerial threats at less than half the price of the current PAC-3 MSE variant.
The announcement was made during the Farnborough Airshow, in the United Kingdom, at a time when Ukraine is facing a critical shortage of anti-aircraft ammunition to stop Russian ballistic missile attacks. Currently, a PAC-3 MSE interceptor costs approximately 4 million dollars.
The initial production of the new model is estimated to begin within 36 months.
An essential system for Ukraine
For the Ukrainian forces, the PAC-3 missiles currently represent the only means capable of shooting down the Russian Iskander-M type ballistic missiles. The lack of ammunition was reflected in the first weeks of July, when reduced stocks led to a drastic decrease in the interception rate of attacks on Ukrainian cities.
The depletion of stocks has a direct impact on the civilian population. According to the United Nations Organization, June 2026 recorded one of the highest civilian casualty tolls since the beginning of the conflict, with over 45% of deaths caused by long-range weapon attacks.
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