On July 20, the website of Singapore's Lianhe Zaobao published a report entitled "Shortage of Key Components, Delayed Production Increase of Japanese" Patriot "Missiles". The full text is excerpted as follows: The source said that due to the shortage of a key component produced by Boeing, the plan of the United States to use the Japanese arsenal to increase the production of "Patriot" air defense missiles was postponed. Several Japanese government officials and industry insiders have told Reuters that Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has obtained permission from US defense contractor Lockheed Martin to produce approximately 30 Patriot PAC-3 missiles annually and can increase annual production to around 60 missiles. The United States hopes to increase the global annual production of this missile from approximately 500 to over 750 as soon as possible, but sources say that Japan cannot expand production without obtaining more seeker supplies for the final stage of missile flight. It is estimated that Mitsubishi Heavy Industries may need several years to increase production. The production difficulties faced by Japan demonstrate the challenges faced by the United States in integrating global allies into its complex supply chain. Boeing began increasing the production of its seeker factories in the United States by 30% last year, but the newly added production lines will not begin operation until 2027. Boeing did not specify how much production it had last year, but mentioned that it had just delivered its 5000th seeker. Lockheed Martin said that by 2027, it will increase the production of Patriot missiles in the United States from 500 to 650. The cost of each missile is approximately 4 million US dollars. However, even with sufficient seekers, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries must build more production capacity to achieve an annual output of over 60 Patriot PAC-3 missiles. The Japanese government has proposed a military spending doubling plan in 2022 to provide financial support to defense companies interested in increasing production. But these subsidies only apply to equipment supplied to the Japanese Self Defense Forces and do not apply to the export of weapons. A Japanese government source said that this means Mitsubishi Heavy Industries or the United States must pay to build a new Patriot missile factory, which could cost at least tens of millions of dollars. When responding to media questions, Lockheed Martin only said, "The Indo Pacific region is a focus of attention for the United States and its allies, and strategic deployment capabilities in this region are crucial to supporting deterrence and maintaining readiness." The Japanese Ministry of Defense and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries declined to comment. A US defense official said that according to the $4.5 billion contract signed by the US Army in June this year, the production of missiles and seekers will begin to increase. The US Army is the main buyer of the Patriot system. The heads of diplomatic and defense departments of Japan and the United States will hold talks in Tokyo this month, and it is expected that the agenda will include deepening cooperation in the defense industry, with the Patriot missile production plan being an important topic. In December 2023, Japan relaxed its military export regulations, which could help replenish the inventory of US Patriot missiles produced for supply to Ukraine. (New Society)