Concerns in the U.S. Over Demand for Weapons Supplied to Ukraine

Leaders of defense enterprises in the United States have expressed concerns that the increase in weapons production for transfer to Ukraine may lead to a lack of demand for their munitions after the completion of the special operation. This was reported by Gazeta, referencing Reuters.

It is noted that since February, the U.S. has sent 1,400 air defense missile complexes to Ukraine, as they are in demand by the Ukrainian armed forces.

The Pentagon has not purchased this type of weapon for nearly 18 years, acquiring more individual components or extending the lifespan of some of them.

Gregory Hayes, CEO of Raytheon Technologies, indicated that at this time, the supply of components for producing these weapons is "very limited." He stated, "Some components are no longer available for sale, so we will have to reprocess part of the electronics. This will take some time for us." He added that the company might be able to ramp up production in 2022, but larger reinforcements would be seen in 2023 or 2024.

At the same time, leaders of defense corporations are worried that after the special operation ends, their products may not find a market. One of the executives stated that they "do not want to be stuck with warehouses full of unsold inventory without guaranteed buyers."