The US Navy has requested $1.7 billion to procure 405 latest-generation Patriot PAC-3 air defense missiles as part of its proposed 2027 budget, according to US Department of Defense documents.
The documents were shared by X user Virtual Bayonet, with the US government’s 2027 fiscal budget published on Monday showing a 44 percent increase in defense spending to $1.5 trillion and identifying the procurement of “12 critical munitions” as the Pentagon’s “highest funding priorities.”
The proposal remains subject to congressional approval as part of the US defense budget process.
The Patriot missiles are currently used in ground-based launchers, with the planned procurement hinting at progress in integrating the launchers into naval platforms.
The missile’s effectiveness against Russian ballistic threats – including the only known interceptions of Russia’s Kh-47M2 Kinzhal hypersonic missile – has made it a highly sought-after system in Europe and Ukraine. However, supplies have been strained by production backlogs, further exacerbated by the US’s war with Iran.
As Western countries face concerns about the Patriots’ limited stockpiles, their redeployment and transfers have also been debated, with Poland refusing Washington’s recent request to deploy one of Poland’s Patriot batteries to the Middle East.
In early March, unnamed Ukrainian officials said Kyiv had received about 600 Patriot missiles over the course of Russia’s full-scale invasion, with the interceptors in constant demand to fend off combined Russian drone and missile strikes.
President Volodymyr Zelensky had hinted at recent efforts to source alternatives to Patriot PAC-3 missiles, while Fire Point, the maker of Ukraine’s Flamingo missile, signaled plans to develop a Patriot alternative by 2027 and to launch satellites.