The weapons used to devastating effect in Ukraine are already in high demand in Taiwan. Furthermore, it is also not clear that 4,000 missiles per year will be sufficient, given the need to replenish depleted supplies, the strong potential for the war in Ukraine to continue and Taiwan’s need for similar systems.
Ammo stockpile upgrade#
The required multi-year window to upgrade production capabilities is an evident issue across the defense industrial base. In an interview with CBS News, Lockheed Martin’s CEO Jim Taiclet stated the production of Javelin missiles could be upgraded from approximately 2,000 missiles per year to 4,000 over the span of several years. Ramping up production of both the system and missiles will be less challenging than the Stinger. As such, Raytheon will not be able to resume Stinger production until 2023.Īs for the Javelin, the Pentagon has continued to procure the anti-armor system over the years.
Raytheon Technologies - the manufacturer of the Stinger - reported earlier this year that several materials used in the production of the Stinger are no longer available. Having been focused on counterinsurgency operations over the past 20 years, the Pentagon has not procured Stingers in more than a decade. The United States has delivered more than 1,400 Stinger anti-aircraft systems to Ukraine, helping prevent Russian domination of contested airspace. Other weapon systems face even more dire production challenges. While this represents an improvement, even this will not address and backfill a depletion rate of more than 100,000 per month. The current plan to increase production capacity would incrementally bring the total number of 155mm rounds produced per month to 36,000 over the next three years. While the exact number of 155mm artillery rounds the United States possesses is unknown, this gap between utilization and production will significantly deplete its reserves over time.
The September production capacity, meanwhile, was only 14,400 rounds per month. Current inventories do not undergird a national security strategy that continues to support Ukraine while retaining the ability to assist Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion.Īccording to the Defense Department, in the six months from March to September, the United States supplied Ukraine with more than 800,000 155mm artillery rounds. defense stockpiles significantly depleted. The Stingers, Javelins, HIMARS, and 155mm howitzer have upended Russia’s invasion, and Ukraine has successfully regained territory in the east.īehind this operational success lies an uncomfortable reality: the war in Ukraine has left U.S. The United States has provided a staggering volume of military aid to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion began Feb.
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