Space-time of Mark: Warship Missiles are in High Demand, Even Patriots Must Board Warships.

Amid concerns about the escalating trade war between the United States and China potentially turning into a hot conflict, Lockheed Martin is increasing production of the Patriot 3 MSE (PAC-3 MSE) air defense missile. Meanwhile, the company is awaiting a decision from the U.S. Navy on whether to purchase these missiles for installation in the Mk41 vertical launch system onboard ships.

The U.S. Navy already possesses a comprehensive range of standard air defense missiles, along with advanced Sea Sparrow and RAM short-range air defense missiles. Why then consider the Army’s Patriot missiles?

In the Russia-Ukraine war, frequent missile and drone attacks led to a rapid depletion of air defense missile stocks on both sides. The bottleneck in missile production capacity became apparent. Mature and effective missile systems have been highly sought after as a result. Warships are now not only threatened by anti-ship missiles but also face increased threats from drones, making the battlefield environment more complex. In this context, the U.S. Navy, in addition to developing laser weapons, began to worry about whether the quantity of air defense missiles carried on ships is sufficient. This concerns the ability of each ship deployed in a conflict zone to remain on station continuously. Once the stockpile of air defense missiles is depleted, a ship can only withdraw from the combat zone and spend a significant amount of time returning to base for replenishment.

As a result, in the 2025 Navy budget, the U.S. Navy has introduced the Compact Agile Interceptor (CAI) project for the first time. Since the number of vertical launch units on ships is fixed, the CAI is required to utilize new technologies to maximize interceptor performance while reducing size and weight, achieving a smaller-diameter warhead for higher payload efficiency. This means a single launch unit can carry multiple missiles, such as the Sea Sparrow ESSM’s one-cell-four-missile configuration.

Furthermore, accelerating missile production to rapidly increase stockpiles is also a headache for the U.S. Navy. The demand for Standard-6 air defense missiles is limited to the Navy, resulting in relatively low production capacity. To increase production capability would require a significant investment of funds, which cannot be achieved in the short term. Therefore, the Navy turned to the Army’s Patriot missiles.

The production capacity of Patriot missiles now exceeds 500 units annually, driven by the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine, the Middle East, and the tense situation in the Asia-Pacific region, leading to a very strong demand. The Patriot missile boasts the richest combat experience among U.S. air defense missiles, having undergone numerous real-world tests in Ukraine and the Middle East. Its interception effectiveness has also received positive reviews from customers, demonstrating its capability to intercept ballistic missiles and hypersonic missiles. Therefore, the Navy’s consideration to deploy Patriot missiles on ships is justified.

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