Ukraine Urges for 25 U.S. Patriot Batteries Under European ‘Loan-and-Replace’ Plan.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has proposed ordering 25 Patriot air defense systems from the United States under a European “loan-and-replace” scheme to speed deployment. The plan highlights Kyiv’s urgency ahead of winter strikes, but Washington has yet to authorize any full Patriot sales.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on X on November 10, 2025, that he proposed ordering 25 Patriot air defense systems from the United States, coupled with a fast-track European loan-and-replace scheme so Ukraine can deploy batteries now and donors reclaim new ones as U.S. production arrives. “We want to order 25 Patriot systems… European colleagues can lend us their systems now… we would not want to wait,” he wrote, underscoring that this is a plan rather than a formal order.
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Patriot long-range SAM uses AN/MPQ-65 radar and PAC-3 MSE to defeat ballistic and cruise missiles, integrating into NATO layered air defense (Picture source: U.S. DoW).

Washington has not notified Congress of any sale of complete Patriot fire units to Ukraine. The only recent U.S. government notices are for Patriot sustainment, satellite communications services, and a separate package of air-delivered munitions. Until a Defense Security Cooperation Agency case appears for full batteries, Zelensky’s 25-system figure remains a political objective backed by a financing concept. Kyiv is also tapping the NATO-managed Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List, which Zelensky says could total about 3.5 to 3.6 billion dollars for U.S. weapons, including Patriot munitions and HIMARS rockets.

The Patriot fire unit’s architecture explains the push: a standard U.S. Army configuration pairs the AN/MPQ-65 or 65A C-band radar with the MSQ-104 engagement control station, power units, antenna mast group and M903 launchers. Launchers can be loaded with four PAC-2 GEM-T interceptors or up to 12 PAC-3 MSE rounds, enabling mixed loadouts tailored to ballistic and cruise threats. The U.S. Army’s new LTAMDS radar brings true 360-degree coverage with gallium-nitride arrays, addressing multi-axis raid tactics used by Russia.

In operational terms, additional Patriots would widen defended footprints around high-value nodes such as power-grid substations, air bases for incoming F-16s, and logistics hubs, while freeing NASAMS and IRIS-T to handle low-altitude drones and cruise missiles. Ukraine has already demonstrated Patriot’s ability to stop Kinzhal aeroballistic missiles during massed night strikes over Kyiv, a performance confirmed by Ukrainian commanders and U.S. officials in 2023 and reinforced in subsequent salvos. Training pipelines have adapted accordingly: a compressed U.S. course at Fort Sill produced the first Ukrainian crews in roughly ten weeks, with follow-on sustainment and “Top Gun” tracks to maintain proficiency under combat conditions.

Zelensky’s financing and delivery concept hinges on a swap: European operators lend batteries now and receive backfills as RTX and Lockheed scale output. Germany is the bellwether, having already sent multiple Patriot systems and signaling more this year, while other European operators include the Netherlands, Spain, Greece, Poland, Romania and Sweden. The model aligns with ongoing production ramps. Lockheed says it will deliver more than 600 PAC-3 MSE interceptors in 2025 under multiyear awards, and the Army moved LTAMDS into low-rate production with a fresh RTX contract that also covers Poland’s radars. Those steps improve the odds that donors can be backfilled on predictable timelines.

There are legal and policy steps between the idea and fielding. A Ukrainian Letter of Request must translate into a DSCA notification and, after the statutory review period, a Letter of Offer and Acceptance. Third-party transfers or temporary loans require U.S. approval under the Arms Export Control Act, while NATO and EU instruments would likely move cash through the PURL or similar funds to purchase U.S. backfill. None of this prevents quick action, but it does require synchronized decisions in Washington and European capitals.

Mixed GEM-T and PAC-3 MSE loadouts allow simultaneous ballistic and aerodynamic engagements from the same battery, shaping Russian flight profiles and creating defended corridors for rapid repair of critical infrastructure. Typical batteries field six to eight launchers; with 12 PAC-3 MSE per launcher, raid-handling capacity grows materially, especially when cued by external sensors. While exact costs vary by configuration, U.S. sources peg interceptors at about four million dollars each and a full battery at over one billion when missiles and spares are included, illustrating why Zelensky links the request to pooled European financing.

What Ukraine is actually buying from the United States today underscores the near-term picture. Recent DSCA notices include 825 million dollars in air-delivered munitions, 179.1 million in Patriot sustainment, and 150 million in satellite communications services. Additional Ukraine FMS cases this summer covered air defense sustainment, HAWK Phase III support, Bradley sustainment and M109 overhaul capability. These purchases complement grant-funded drawdowns and point to a hybrid model in which Ukraine increasingly acquires sustainment and munitions while partners consider lending high-demand assets like Patriot.

Written by Evan Lerouvillois, Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group.

Evan studied International Relations, and quickly specialized in defense and security. He is particularly interested in the influence of the defense sector on global geopolitics, and analyzes how technological innovations in defense, arms export contracts, and military strategies influence the international geopolitical scene.